More focus, less fun at all-Canadian U.S. Open practice round: ‘We’re just trying to survive the week’

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Published Jun 17, 2026  •  4 minute read

Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Canada tees off on the 12th hole during a practice round prior to the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 17, 2026 in Southampton, New York. Photo by Kate McShane /Getty Images

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SOUTHHAMPTON, N.Y. — Three of Canada’s top golfers got together for a U.S. Open practice round on Wednesday with the common goal of trying to prepare for the challenge ahead at Shinnecock Hills, a course none of them had played before the week.

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“It’s quite something,” Corey Conners said of the sandy, windswept course found in the gateway to the Hamptons. “It’s kind of an awesome mix of green complexes, some of the undulations, and some of the holes there’s lots of slope out there, and a lot of the greens effectively play pretty small.”

Conners, Nick Taylor and Sudarshan Yellamaraju made up the threesome — with the fourth Canuck in the field, Ben Silverman, practising an hour later — but any familiar side games were nowhere to be found as it was more business than pleasure for the all-Canadian trio on Wednesday morning.

“We were just focused on learning the course,” Yellamaraju said of the lack of extracurriculars. “This is a tough golf course, and I think we just wanted to get as much insight and experience as we could.”

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Five-time PGA Tour winner Taylor agreed with the rookie’s assessment of the day.

“We’re just trying to survive the week, so we didn’t need to add anything else to it,” he added with a knowing grin.

The three Canadians share the same ultimate goal this week, but they are all at the season’s third major looking for something different.

Normally one of the most consistent players in the world, Conners finds himself in the unusual position of searching for his game.

Coming off a missed cut last week at the RBC Canadian Open, and a rather shocking 79-78 weekend at The Memorial before that, it’s strange times for the man with the million-dollar golf swing.

“There’s just been something a little bit off and I haven’t been able to make the right adjustments to stay on track,” he said. “But I feel like I’ve learned a couple of little lessons from that, and things are pretty solid right now.”

As any avid golfer knows, sometimes the fewer options a player is presented with, the better the result. Conners can only hope that an entire week of a Shinnecock course that demands near-perfection will bring out his best.

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“It’s a great analogy, and I definitely believe that as well,” Conners said. “I feel like around here you know exactly what you have to do. You have one option, and if you don’t execute it, you’re going to be in trouble. So it can definitely heighten your focus, and you can surprise yourself by doing some good things.”

Taylor also is coming off a tough week at his home event, although an eagle at the 18th on Sunday at TPC Toronto offered the dimmest of silver linings.

For the winningest Canadian golfer of his generation, it has been a slightly puzzling year for Taylor. His game looks as good as ever, but the results largely haven’t been there. This was most recently evident at last month’s PGA Championship at Aronimink, where he played his way into the second-to-last pairing on Sunday, then had a legitimate chance to win after the front nine, only to make six bogeys coming home to tumble off the leaderboard.

“It’s one of those things, it just hasn’t happened this year,” he said. “I just have to work on the patience, and let it happen.”

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Sunday’s PGA Championship slip was a surprise coming from a player who has earned a reputation on tour as a final-round closer, but contending at majors is relatively new after years of struggling to find his game at the four biggest tournaments. The 38-year-old Taylor needs a victory before season’s end to extend his impressive winning streak on tour to four consecutive years.

“There isn’t one part of my game that I’m really battling at the moment,” Taylor said. “It’s just trying to piece it all together. I’ve probably lost some patience at times with the results, thinking that I’m playing better than the results show, and maybe pressing a little bit.”

For Yellamaraju, it has been a wildly successful rookie year. Two-thirds of the way through the 2026 season, Yellamaraju is the top Canadian on tour, entering the week 44th in FedEx Cup standings, 11 spots ahead of Taylor, and 40 spots ahead of the under-performing Conners.

The 24-year-old determined to take nothing for granted, keep his head down and keep working. He also knows that as good as last week’s T8 at TPC Toronto was, the challenge ramps up considerably this week at Shinnecock at his second career major championship.

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“I knew that regardless of what happened last week, this week is completely different,” he said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind golf course, and it’s a U.S. Open, so you don’t really play a tournament like this very often. So, yes, I feel good that I had a good result, but I knew that no matter what, I still needed to focus on this week.”

These All-Canadian major practice rounds often provide light moments during an otherwise pressure-packed week, but fun must have got stuck in traffic and all three understand the U.S. Open challenge ahead at Shinnecock is no laughing matter,

“It is nice to have one of these days together, for sure,” Yellamaraju said. “Obviously, we all want each other to do well, but I’m usually pretty focused on what I’m doing, and they’re the same way. I respect that.”

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