Playing at Oakmont, one of the hardest golf courses in the world, is already very difficult for even the best golfers at the U.S. Open. Trying to play there while being injured makes it even worse, probably not a good idea at all.
Canadian golfer Corey Conners seemed to think the same. He decided not to play the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday because of an injury. Conners was supposed to play at 10:20 a.m. ET with another golfer named Ryan Fox, but he wasn’t really in the running to win at that point.
It was a sad and disappointing way to end the tournament for Conners. Earlier, he had finished ninth at the 2024 U.S. Open and had also placed in the top 20 in other big golf tournaments in 2025. At 33 years old, he is still chasing his dream of winning his very first major title.
Now, let’s look at what exactly happened with his injury and why he had to quit.
Corey Conners’ injury update
Corey Conners, a professional golfer from Canada, had to make a tough decision during the U.S. Open golf tournament. He decided to quit before playing the final round on Sunday because he was injured. His wrist was hurt, and continuing to play could have made it even worse.
Let’s break down how it happened:
Corey Conners’ first hurt his wrist on Thursday, which was the first day of the tournament. While he was trying to hit a shot from a sand trap, which is a part of the course filled with sand, usually hard to play from, something unexpected happened. When he swung his club, he accidentally hit a cable that was lying there. That cable was for a TV camera. His caddy (the person who carries a golfer’s clubs and helps them during the game) later said that this is what caused the injury in the first place.
Even though it hurt, Conners didn’t stop playing right away. He kept going in the tournament. But then, on Saturday, which was the third day, he had to hit another shot from a sand trap, and that’s when his wrist got hurt again. This time, the injury became worse. That’s what people mean when they say it got “aggravated.”
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Conners was checked out (probably by medical staff or trainers), and after they looked at his wrist, he still chose to keep playing on Saturday. But it was clear that something was wrong. At first, he played really well. On the front nine holes (the first half of the course), he shot 3-under par, which means he was doing better than average. But then, in the back nine holes (the second half), his performance dropped a lot. He shot 5-over par, which means he made a lot of mistakes, and that made it impossible for him to catch up with the other top players. In other words, his chances of winning or finishing near the top were pretty much gone.
Before Sunday’s round, Corey Conners was supposed to be playing with another golfer named Ryan Fox. Even though Conners had to drop out because of his wrist, Fox still played, and he did really well at the start. In just his first seven holes, Fox shot 3-under par, which put him in a good spot to possibly earn more prize money, even though he wasn’t likely to win the whole thing.
What’s sad for Corey Conners is that before his wrist got worse, he was actually doing well enough that he might have been able to finish strong or even compete for a top spot. But hurting his wrist again on Saturday changed everything. It forced him to back out of the tournament, bringing a disappointing end to what could’ve been a great run.
