Heading for greener pastures Derek Ingram in Augusta to watch his student, PGA Tour winner Corey Conners, in Masters By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Monday, Apr. 3, 2023

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This article was published 03/04/2023 (890 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipegger Derek Ingram is living the dream these days.

The national amateur men’s coach is fresh off watching his star professional pupil, Ontario’s Corey Conners, capture his second PGA Tour title this past weekend at the Valero Texas Open.

“A lot of pride,” Ingram told the Free Press on Monday.

With Conners leading the way at No. 28, an incredible five Canadian talents are currently within the top 65 of the World Golf Rankings for the first time ever.

“Not even close,” he said. “We’ve never had more depth. Never been stronger.”

And, as if that’s not enough, Ingram is currently in Augusta, Ga., site of this week’s Masters in which Conners and two other homegrown products he doesn’t coach but who have won tournaments this season (No. 56 Adam Svensson and No. 57 Mackenzie Hughes) will tee it up along with the likes of Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler and Rory Mcllroy.

“It’s my favourite tournament in the world,” said Ingram, who was making the two-hour drive from Atlanta during a telephone interview.

“You know, if I’m tired from travelling a lot — I’m always away — I might be looking forward to maybe going home. But as soon as you drive down Magnolia Lane and into the club, you’re totally grateful and really, really thankful. You realize how fortunate you are and then you enjoy every second of the entire week. Absolutely love it.”

Plenty of “pinch me” moments, for sure. And Ingram, who was inducted into the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame in 2011, is hoping he might get to witness another as soon as this Sunday, as Conners looks to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Mike Weir’s historic Masters victory by capturing a green jacket.

“Corey has had some success the last three years here,” said Ingram. “He loves the golf course, a little bit like he loves TPC San Antonio (where he just won on Sunday, the same place he won in 2019). He feels very comfortable on the course, It’s one of the strongest fields in pro golf and there’s no guarantees, but his game is good.”

Ingram would love nothing more than to see Conners win an event in person for the first time. He spent last Monday to Thursday with Conners in Texas, then flew back to Winnipeg for a few days which is the typical routine. He did the same thing prior to the 2019 triumph.

“Usually I’m just there for three or four days to help him get ramped up,” said Ingram. “I usually don’t stay for the full week, unless it’s the majors.”

As a result, he had a pretty helpless feeling on Sunday as he sat in front of his television like countless other Canadian golf fans, hoping Conners could hold on to his one-stroke lead as he played the final hole.

“It’s actually extremely nerve-racking because you spend so many hours and so many days over the course of a year and you see all the hard work,” said Ingram.

“And these guys play to win. Yeah, the money’s nice and certainly nobody turns it down. But at the end of the day, it’s really about trying to get in position to win, which has been done a bunch over the last three or four years, but then also kicking the door down. So super nerve-racking. And I’m not much fun to be around watching that.”

Ingram said he had a feeling last week in Texas that Conners was on the verge of something special.

“A good week doesn’t always, in fact very rarely, adds up to a win. But we knew he’d have a very good week, loved the course and felt like he could play well there.”–Derek Ingram

“We’ve been trending really nicely,” he said. “A good week doesn’t always, in fact very rarely, adds up to a win. But we knew he’d have a very good week, loved the course and felt like he could play well there.”

Now the scene shifts to a much bigger stage, and Conners has momentum along with recent history on his side. The 31-year-old has played in five Masters, improving each time. He missed the cut as an amateur in 2015, finished T-46 in 2019, T-10th in 2020, T-8th in 2021 and T-6th last year. Ingram will be doing everything he can over the next few days to get Conners primed to take the biggest step of his career.

“I would say very few people know Augusta better than Corey Conners,” said Ingram. “He’s got partially photographic memory. He’s played 12 rounds there in the last three years and had top tens. He wanted to get his game sharp (last week in Texas), which he certainly did. I think it’s the perfect prep that works for him.”

Ingram leads a stable of both Canadian professionals and amateurs, including many playing on scholarships in college, which is why there’s rarely a week he isn’t rushing between airports, hotels and golf courses somewhere in North America (or, occasionally, beyond). His two PGA Tour clients are Conners and Taylor Pendrith, who is currently ranked 123rd in the world. Nick Taylor (63) and Adam Hadwin (65) are the other top Canucks right now in addition to the trio who will play at Augusta.

“It’s great. I hope this isn’t the glory days, because I’m hoping to continue helping Golf Canada put more and more in,” said Ingram, whose oldest son, Brent, played on the University of Manitoba golf team last year.

“But it’s certainly the best we’ve ever been, and the deepest we’ve ever been.”–Derek Ingram

“But it’s certainly the best we’ve ever been, and the deepest we’ve ever been.”

Ingram is also a coach to Manitoba’s top pro golfer, Aaron Cockerill, who is enjoying full-time status in Europe on the DP World Tour. The 30-year-old Stony Mountain product also made his PGA Tour debut last summer, getting exemptions into three events and making the cut in all three. Cockerill, who became a father in February, is currently ranked 376th in the world.

“Really proud of Aaron and how far he’s come and how hard he works. And how smart he works,” said Ingram. “His game is really coming along. I believe Aaron Cockerill is going to win on the DP Tour one day. I do. I believe he’s good enough and really love the way he’s trending. Super excited for him.”

Yes, life is pretty, pretty good these days. And not just on a professional level, but a personal one, too. Ingram’s youngest son, Adam, just finished up his rookie season at St. Cloud State after being drafted in the third round, 82nd overall, by the Nashville Predators last summer, putting up an impressive 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 41 games.

“I’m pretty spoiled,” said Ingram.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg

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Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.