Editor's Note: Various edits and additions to this story made by AmateurGolf.com Staff
LAKE MACQUARIE, Australia (Jan. 17, 2015) — Team Canada member Corey Conners finished at 17-under par, four strokes ahead of runner-up finisher Andrew McCain of Minneapolis, en route to winning the Lake Macquarie title Saturday at Belmont Golf Club.
Conners, who recently turned 23, never looked back after earning a share of the lead with an opening round 67—highlighted by an eagle on the 460-yard par-5 10th.
The Listowel, Ont., native kept his foot on the gas in the following rounds, carding three consecutive scores of 68 to close out the win. The Kent State graduate was the lone Canuck in the field.
This tournament marks the second of three in Conners’ stint Down Under. He finished T12 a week earlier in the Australian Master of the Amateurs, an ‘A’ ranked event on the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). Following this week’s win, Conners will head to the city of Mascot to tee-it-up in the Australian Amateur.
Conners returns to North America the following week to continue his tour as he looks to defend his Jones Cup title at the Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Ga.
McCain, a former Maryland Terapin golfer, finished alone in second place four back of Conners. McCain made headlines at the 2014 Pacific Coast Amateur when his opening-round 62 at Pine Canyon broke the competitive course record. He eventually finished in a tie for fourth place, nine back of winner Corey Pereira, who tied McCain's newly-set record in the second and third round.
Ryan Chisnall of New Zealand and Cameron Davis of Australia tied for third place at 276. Last week's Master of the Amateurs winner Zach Murray tied for 19th. Murray, just 17, became the youngest winner in the tournament's history.
Top-ranked Corey Conners wins Australia's Lake Macquarie Amateur
The No. 1 ranked player in the world travelled to New South Wales, Australia and won an event by four strokes