In the end, Corey Conners just couldnt get past the last match. Despite a valiant effort over 35 holes, the Canadian came up just short in the final of the U.S. Amateur, losing 2 & 1 to South Koreas Gunn Yang. It was the second time in two weeks that a Canadian golfer had reached the final of an American championship. Last Sunday, Brooke Henderson lost the final of the womens championship. “It was a long day, fun match,” Conners said after accepting the runner-up medal. “Pretty tough fought. It was hard to win holes. Birdies are hard to come by out here and Gunn played fantastic golf.” Conners was never up in the match, losing the first two holes of the day. It was a bit of an uncharacteristic opening for Conners, who is generally good at hitting fairways and greens. He was in nine bunkers over the first 18, which prompted some good-natured ribbing from pal and caddie Taylor Pendrith. “He was making fun of me because he had to rake all those bunkers,” Conners chuckled. “He said his limit on the second 18 was going to be five.” After the first 18, hed managed to cut Yangs lead in half. When the duo returned for the second 18, Conners quickly put the contest to all square with a birdie on the first hole. However Yang birdied six and seven and never looked back, eventually closing Conners out on the 35th-hole. “It stings a little bit to lose the final match, but [I] played some good golf today,” said Conners, who received congratulatory messages from Graham DeLaet and Marlene Streit, among others. “Just wasnt meant to be.” Conners admitted that his game in the final wasnt as sharp as what got him through the previous five matches. He said he simply couldnt get putts to drop despite putting good rolls on the ball. “I thought I hit nice putts,” he said. “They just slipped by and that was kind of frustrating not to have any of those drop and win some holes.” After losing in the semi-final last year, there is some consolation for Conners this year. His finish earns him spots in the Masters and the U.S. Open. The only catch is that he has to remain an amateur. While never firm in his plans, Conners admitted earlier this year that he was looking at turning professional after the World Team Amateur Championships in September. “The next eight or nine months, Im not too sure whats going to happen,” said Conners, who was cheered on by a large contingent from his home club in Listowel, Ont. “I have some planning to do, but yeah, I dont know. I havent really thought about that too much.” Despite making it so far and then falling just short, Conners was still happy with his performance. “It feels great, and I know looking back on last year, how special of a week it was and Im sure it will be the same thing this week," he said. "Pretty proud and happy with my play and was an exciting week.” Adam Foote Jersey . Noah finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 34 minutes. He was headed for his fourth triple-double of the season, but sat down with about three minutes left because of the lopsided score. Kirk Hinrich scored 19 points for Chicago, going 5 for 6 on 3-pointers, Carlos Boozer added 18 points, D. Rene Robert Jersey . - Zac Leslie scored two goals and assisted on two more, and Justin Nichols made 34 saves as the Guelph Storm blanked the Kitchener Rangers 6-0 in Ontario Hockey League action on Sunday. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic...alanche-jersey/. Bouchard went down to a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Svitolina in her opening match at the Sony Open on Friday. Bouchard got the rivalry going two years ago when she won the junior Wimbledon title over Svitolina. Joe Sakic Jersey . The Marlies surrendered two power-play goals and failed to score on six man-advantage opportunities en route to a 4-1 defeat in American Hockey League action on Saturday. Peter Forsberg Jersey .C. -- When Michael Jordan speaks, people still listen.TORONTO -- Nikolai Kulemin has been in the dark. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger is a candidate to play for Russia at next months Sochi Olympics that are set to be a showcase for his home country. But with the roster being made of up some Kontinental Hockey League players in addition to NHL stars like Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk, he doesnt really know where he stands. "I dont really know what they want to do," Kulemin said last week. "Its their decision who to bring to the team. You never know what theyre thinking." Kulemin, a veteran of 382 NHL games, represented Russia at the 2007 and 2010 world championships but never at the Olympics. The two-way forward was invited to Olympic camp over the summer, and he said only of his likelihood that coaches "said everybody have a chance." Ovechkin, Datsyuk, Malkin and former NHL-turned-KHL poster boys Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov already take up five spots while Alexander Semin, Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexei Tereschenko are also seemingly in good shape. That means it could be a question of whether the Russian management team values Kulemin more than a comparable player from the KHL. Kulemin has just five goals and six assists in 31 games this season after a bone chip in his ankle cost him a month. Thats ninth among Russian-born NHL forwards, though the 27-year-old is much better known for his defensive prowess. "Hes top guy," Ovechkin said of Kulemin earlier this season. "He can play physical game, he can make big hits, good defensive player. Hes very skilled (on) offence too." Ovechkin is the face of the Olympics, so any praise from him cant hurt. "Thank him to say that," Kulemin said. "I would be happy to make the team and help the team in any position I would play for. Well see." One benefit Kulemin would bring is the ability to play on either wing. Thats especially valuable if Ovechkin reverts back to the left side he played his whole life until Washington Capitals coach mooved him to right wing, igniting an MVP campaign.dddddddddddd Ovechkins place isnt in question. But theres no certainty that Kulemin will join Leafs teammates Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk -- who were named to the U.S. team -- in Sochi. "I think thatd be great for him," van Riemsdyk said. "You see how hard he works day in and day out and what he brings to our team as far as just every shift hes out there hes 110 per cent. You know what to expect from him. He brings a lot to the table for us out there, so I think theyd be lucky to have him on their team, too." Perhaps the Leafs would feel luckier if Kulemin didnt make the cut. Asked Saturday morning about the impact of Kessel and van Riemsdyk making the U.S. team on Toronto, coach Randy Carlyle pointed to a negative aspect of NHL participation in the Olympics. "From my experience with it in Anaheim, we had seven players go to the (2010) Olympics and we had (Ryan) Getzlaf, (Corey) Perry and Scott Niedermayer come back and they didnt have any emotion left when they got back," Carlyle said. "They participated in winning a gold medal, and it was difficult to get those guys back to the level that we needed them at that time, and its understandable." The Chicago Blackhawks had nine players at those Olympics, including Canadians Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and went on to win the Stanley Cup. But the concern over the let-down is legitimate. "Its two or three weeks of high emotion, and the last thing on their mind is where they came from," Carlyle said. "Theyre playing for their country." This is especially true in the case of the Russians, who will be facing immense pressure to win gold on home ice. Kulemin, a native of Magnitogorsk, a 35-hour drive northeast from Sochi, would love to join in that quest. He has been waiting in nervous anticipation of the roster announcement. "Well see if I make the team," Kulemin said. "Id be so happy. But you never know." 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