Q. Talk about your experience at the Bell Centre. Was it good for the team building?
COREY CONNERS: Yeah, it was really cool to get invited to go to the Bell Centre, meet some of the Canadiens and Marty St-Louis, the coach, grew up watching Marty, a big fan of him. He had an amazing career.
My first time at the Bell Centre, unbelievable facility. So much history in there. Yeah, it was packed for a preseason game. Cool atmosphere even at this point in the season.
Q. You said that you were a fan of Marty St-Louis?
COREY CONNERS: Yeah, I was a big fan of Marty St-Louis, watching him and Lecavalier have all his success. They were impressive players and a dynamic duo in the NHL. I always admired his game. Not the biggest guy, but found ways to get it done.
Q. Did you ever play as Marty in NHL?
COREY CONNERS: I don't think so. Not a big gamer, so I don't have a lot of experience there.
Q. Curious for this Presidents Cup, choosing players, strategizing, how do you use analytics when you play?
COREY CONNERS: I try and simplify things as much as possible, but certainly looking through the yardage book and knowing my game, just trying to stick to my strengths as much as possible.
I wouldn't say I'm crunching too, too many numbers. It's a place I feel comfortable having played the Canadian Open here and came here a few weeks ago.
So just kind of did my thing building the plan, but trying to keep things as simple as possible.
Q. Given your academic background, I would think analytics would be right in your wheelhouse?
COREY CONNERS: I'm not afraid of them. It's been cool to be a part of this team again and learn from some of the captains and some of the analytical guys on how they get things done.
I'm not afraid of them. I'm good with numbers, but just try to simplify things as much as I can.
Q. (No microphone)?
COREY CONNERS: It's pretty demanding. There's some long holes, I think. It's tricky all the way around. There's some tricky tee shots. The fairways are really important to hit out here. The rough can be penalizing and a little bit thick.
I think a big challenge is getting the ball in the fairway. And obviously to win the Cup, you're going to need to make a lot of putts. So that's another pretty important aspect.
Q. Do you consider yourself the underdog?
COREY CONNERS: We don't feel too much like the underdogs. I think we have an amazing group. I would definitely say the U.S. has our number here. We're motivated to try and change that.
Q. Everyone has a goal for their team in environments like this. What are you looking for in your team?
COREY CONNERS: I think embracing the Canadian fans. We haven't got to experience it yet, but I think try and help get the guys going.
I've been telling them how amazing the atmosphere is going to be, how many Canadian fans and fans from all over the world are going to be showing up and cheering us on. It's going to be awesome to get things started.
Q. (No microphone)?
COREY CONNERS: A little bit more knowing what to expect. It's a demanding week kind of managing your time properly and getting prepared as well as you can. Definitely the crowds in the last Presidents Cup were pretty crazy.
I'm excited to kind of feel the hometown support here this time, but definitely learned some things and excited to get another crack at it.
Q. Is it hard to stay focused?
COREY CONNERS: Yeah, I think it's going to be a little bit easier to stay focused this time knowing the fans are going to be behind us. Definitely found it a little more challenging last time playing in the U.S.
Q. What is the key that you found and how important it is to be there?
COREY CONNERS: I think getting off to a great start is going to be really important. It will get the crowd into it, and I think it will get all the players on the team going. I think, if things don't turn out that way, we'll find a way to battle, and we'll find a way to use the crowd and figure out a way to get it done.
Q. If you could explain how the crowd can have such an impact in a sport where you guys still need to stay calm and focused?
COREY CONNERS: I think there's a difference between, in this event, between the crowds that are rooting for you and rooting against you in a sense. People are all golf fans, and it's exciting to come and watch.
But I think I'm embracing the people that are going to be behind us and behind the International Team, behind the Canadians and me especially. It will be great.
I find that, even though it can be loud, it kind of helps you relax.
Q. (What does it mean to experience this with your former teammates?)
COREY CONNERS: Yeah, it's really awesome to be here with Mac and Taylor again. We all go way back. We're great friends. We've spent a lot of time together. We know each other's games really well. It's awesome to be a part of the team with those guys. They're really talented players. That's pretty cool.
I don't think any of us kind of dreamed of being here when we were all at Kent State together or growing up on the Canadian National Team. So it's pretty cool that we're all here.
Q. (No microphone)? What's your mindset?
COREY CONNERS: I think everybody on our team knows we've been trending in the right direction. We've got a good plan in place. We can definitely do it. They've had our number in the Presidents Cup, but I think everyone on the team, the captains, are instilling a lot of belief in us.
It's a great group of guys. We're all growing close together, and we're all excited to play for the Cup.
Q. Obviously it's not a PGA TOUR, but three Canadians on the International Team.
COREY CONNERS: It's really exciting to be a Canadian golfer right now. Golf is so popular in Canada. The Canadians have been doing so well on the PGA TOUR. It seems like every time there's an event, there's a record number of Canadians in the field or on the team.
It's just fun to be a part of. Awesome guys to be around as well. I think we all just kind of push each other. Canadian golf is in a good place, and I'm just excited to be a part of it.
Q. (How is it different from when you started or when Mike was there)?
COREY CONNERS: Yeah, it had to have been a lot different. Obviously there's a lot more Canadians out here now. Got to give credit to Mike for that as well, inspiring us in all the success that he had.
Definitely, most of my career there's been a handful of Canadians. There's certainly a growing number now. Definitely fun to be a part of a growing group.
Q. (What kind of advice would you give Mac?)
COREY CONNERS: He excels on big stages. He's definitely a gamer. He's great in the match play format. His game is solid all around, especially on the greens. That's really key here, just kind of knowing what to expect and kind of the logistics of the week are something that surprised me a bit last time.
But he settled in. He's ready to go. He's just as excited, if not more excited, than anyone else on the team to be here. It's been fun sharing the experience with him.
Q. (What does it mean to have your coach here?)
COREY CONNERS: Yeah, it's pretty cool. We were here a couple weeks ago, and we FaceTimed Coach Page. Mac was just talking to him first, and then Taylor and I popped into the screen. First, he didn't know what was going on, but he's proud of us.
He's meant so much to, not just me, but all those guys as well. It's awesome to have him here supporting us and cheering us on. He deserves a lot of credit for getting us to where we are as well. The program and culture he created for us at Kent State was great for us on and off the golf course, becoming better players and becoming better people.
Yeah, he's a great man, and I'm really excited that he was able to get here and be a part of this with us.
Q. From what you have seen of the course, what do you think will be important?
COREY CONNERS: The greens are in great shape. I think you can get hot with the putter, but it's going to be important to get the ball in the fairway. You kind of have to do everything well. There's no kind of hiding any weaknesses out here. Got to strike it good and hopefully hole some putts.
I like how the course sets up. Like I said, it's in amazing shape right now. It's playing great. It will be a fun challenge.
Q. (How is International Team coming together?)
COREY CONNERS: They've done a good job of getting us together throughout the year at different times. We're all here for the same thing. We're coming together.
They're creating a family atmosphere, and the shield is our logo we're playing under this week and representing. They've done a good job of making it feel like a team and a family. It's no different
than --
Q. Do you feel it?
COREY CONNERS: Yeah, I could say that all the guys are buddies now. It's great what they've done. Having experienced it before with a lot of the same guys and getting to know them even better then and continuing that through when we play on Tour. It's good.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports