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The Masters 2021: 5 dark horse sleepers who could win at Augusta

By Cody Williams

Mar 14, 2021; Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA; Corey Conners plays from the fairway on the 16th hole during the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2021; Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA; Corey Conners plays from the fairway on the 16th hole during the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass - Stadium Course. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Corey Conners, The Masters
Corey Conners, The Masters. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

The Masters 2021 sleeper pick No. 2: Corey Conners (+8000)

Another golfer who performed well at the November Masters, Corey Conners made only his second appearance at Augusta in his professional career and finished tied for 10th. He’s now made the cuts in his two trips to the tournament (2019, 2020) and it’s not hard to see why when you think abut what the 29-year-old Canadian does so well to find success.

Conners is consistently one of the best ball-strikers on Tour and that has continued in a big way so far this year. He ranks 10th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 13th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green. Those are sticky things that will help him tremendously at The Masters as he consistently knows where he’s putting the ball with his driver and with his irons, two big keys to success in this tournament.

On top of that, Conners is in great form this year. Since last year at Augusta, the Canadian has six top-20 finishes along with three top-10 finishes, including finishing seventh at THE PLAYERS. But what has really turned his game around is modest improvements as a putter. Simply put, he’s not losing strokes on the greens, which is massive to him taking a leap.

Conners might be my favorite dark horse at The Masters in 2021. His game is made perfectly to play Augusta at a consistently high level and two trips to the tournament now should help him garner valuable experience. In the end, it wouldn’t be shocking if his stellar season was highlighted by a strong finish this week, perhaps even a win.

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