We all love an underdog story. And while Corey Conners is far from a true underdog, the fact that the Canadian won the Valero Texas Open after coming out of a Monday qualifying playoff gave us all something to cheer hard for Sunday.

Welcome to the Monday Finish where Conners became just the fifth player to win after getting into the field via Monday qualifying – catapulting him out of conditional PGA TOUR status and into a new two-year exemption.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS

1. Conners has that uncoachable quality … he’s a winner.

Some people are just gifted with the ability to take adversity in stride and thrive under the gun. Most of us don’t have it. Even most elite athletes don’t have it. But Conners has something special. Firstly to go to Monday Qualifying despite sitting a reasonably healthy 66th in the FedExCup shows determination. Then not quitting after an early double bogey in said qualifying – a score that would usually end hopes in the usual cut-throat shootouts that are Mondays – shows great heart. He then made a putt outside 20-feet to get into a 6-for-1 playoff. Then he calmly made birdie to win the playoff. It was the third time this season he’d made it through the Monday process, impressive in itself. From there Conners never doubted himself, despite having reason to. Three days of impressive golf put him into position and a great start Sunday made it his tournament to lose. Then he seemingly tried to lose it with four straight bogeys. That sort of bleeding is hard to stem in any round, let alone on Sunday when you’re searching for your first PGA TOUR win. It looked as if his run might be fading, especially with a proven winner like Charley Hoffman lurking. But then came a Conners surge. It was just incredible to watch a round with just four pars, particularly down the stretch, still seem like one of an experienced champion. Read more on his awesome win here .

2. Sometimes you just need a friendly place …

Charley Hoffman – by his standards – had been struggling. In 11 starts this PGA TOUR season his best result was his most recent, a T18 at the Valspar Championship. Before that he’d missed six of eight cuts. His position on the FedExCup list was not great reading … well outside the top 125 needed to make the Playoffs. So the four-time TOUR winner was happy to see the Valero Texas Open coming up fast on the schedule. In 13 starts at the event, Hoffman had never missed the cut. He won in 2016, was runner up in 2011, third in 2013 and was also inside the top 15 in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015. So it was no surprise when he dropped a Saturday 64 and found a piece of the lead on Sunday.

“The old saying 'Horses for courses,' it's not a fluke. I think it's something,” Hoffman said after the third round. “I really enjoy San Antonio. I really enjoy the (J.W. Marriott) Resort. My family loves coming here and hanging out. I think we're always in a good frame of mind this week. Even after a tough start to the year, I came with a good head on the shoulders and it's showing.”

Hoffman would eventually settle for another runner up at TPC San Antonio which helped him make a significant FedExCup move from 158th to 54th. Just in time for him to head to another place he’s shown flashes of brilliance … Augusta National. Hoffman is five from five making cuts at the Masters and was the 18- and 36-hole leader in 2017. In the last four seasons his Masters round 1 scoring average is 68.

3. If Si Woo Kim locks it in …

Well he could be an out and out superstar. We’ve already seen his greatness as a two-time TOUR winner, including THE PLAYERS Championship. But what is sometimes forgotten is he is still just 23 years of age. Kim is currently what you might call erratic. When he’s on, he’s a birdie machine. But when it goes a little off … well it can get sideways fast. The learning process continues for the South Korean as he let go his 54-hole lead with a scratchy Sunday, but it is the type of result he can seriously build off. Three rounds of his great stuff was on display. Consistency is possible. I once sat down with Anirban Lahiri, who partnered with Kim at the Presidents Cup, and he was in awe of the ability of Kim to work direction. Any shot Lahiri asked him to play, he would. Basically flawlessly. Without direction he still makes some mental errors out there, but with each experience he will improve. Continue to watch this space.

4. Moore is good …

Ryan Moore has always been great. From his standout amateur days to his five wins on the PGA TOUR he has proven himself as part of the elite. Having started this season with a playoff loss at the Safeway Open it was easy to think he could be in for another sensational season. But his next 10 starts produced just one top 25 and four missed cuts. As such he was getting lost amongst the bigger storylines. His Sunday 64 at TPC San Antonio to surge up to third place was a timely reminder of his skills as the FedExCup fight passes the halfway point.

5. FedExCup shaping up as epic fight …

We are hitting the halfway point of the season and a quick look at the FedExCup list shows the season is shaping up as a good one. Inside the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 are two former FedExCup champions (McIlroy, Thomas) four former PGA TOUR Rookies of the Year (Schauffele, Leishman, Fowler) and also Dustin Johnson among others. Just outside looking in are the likes of Brooks Koepka, current champ Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson. Some outside the top 30 looking for a spring and summer surge include Jason Day and Tiger Woods. And then we have the side stories of those outside the top 125 at the moment including Henrik Stenson (137) and Jordan Spieth (170).

FIVE INSIGHTS

1. Conners first PGA TOUR victory came in just his 51st career start. Conners moved 53 positions in the FedExCup standings from 66th to 13th.

2. Conners is the sixth first-time winner on the PGA TOUR this season. He is the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA TOUR since Arjun Atwal accomplished this at the 2010 Wyndham Championship.

3. Conners led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, outperforming the field at TPC San Antonio by +2.894 strokes per round on all approach shots (career-best).

4. Conners made 10 birdies in his final round 66, marking the first PGA TOUR winner to make 10 or more Total Birdies in the final round since Russell Henley (2017 Houston Open). For the week he made a total of 29 Birdies (seven more than next best player), marking his career most made in an event on the PGA TOUR and the most at the Valero Texas Open since 1983.

5. Conners outperformed the field by +3.11 strokes on the greens in the final round compared to losing -0.94 over the first 3 rounds. On Sunday Conners needed only 23 total putts (career fewest in a round), made 116’ 10” of putts including three putts from outside 10 feet compared to four total putts made from this distance in the first three rounds.

WYNDHAM REWARDS

The Wyndham Rewards Top 10 is in its first season and adds another layer of excitement to the FedExCup Regular Season. The top 10 players at the end of the FedExCup Regular Season will earn bonus payouts from the Wyndham Rewards Top 10.

There was little movement inside the top 10 this week, although Rickie Fowler jumped up from 10th to eighth after the Valero Texas Open. Winner Corey Conners did jump up to 13th, putting him within striking distance.