On a day better suited for flying kites than playing golf, Corey Conners made a giant leap up the leaderboard at the Players Championship on the strength of a six-under 66.

With winds blowing up to 50 kilometres an hour, keeping the ball online in the air and on the greens became a difficult task. Only seven golfers posted a score in the 60s, while five shot rounds in the 80s.

Yet Conners made seven birdies against just a single bogey over TPC Sawgrass, and when the round finished, he was tied for fifth.

“It feels really great. I left some shots out there the first couple of days, so it was nice to have a really solid round today,” said Conners, who posted scores of 71 in the two opening rounds. “Hopefully I can get myself back into the mix depending on what the guys who are getting on the course [later in the day] do.”

The Canadian was in the seventh group of the day to tee off and played the first few holes in less windy conditions, making birdies on the second and third. By the time he reached the sixth, however, the........

© TSN