ROCHESTER, New York : There may be no place like home, but Oak Hill Country Club proved close enough for Canada to play in the PGA Championship this week where Corey Conners grabbed a share of half of the lead on Friday.

The Canadian record six was in a 156-player starting field at Oak Hill, which is about a 90-minute drive from the Canadian border, and they enjoyed the support of many of their compatriots who showed up in droves this week.

“So far it’s been a pretty special week,” Conners said. “I think being so close to Canada, there are a lot of Canadian fans here. They cheer me on. It must feel good.”

It has been 20 years since Mike Weir won the Masters to become Canada’s first men’s major champion, but the impact of his accomplishment, which grew the game in his native country, has been evident on the game’s biggest stages.

The Canadian contingent at Oak Hill includes three players who have recorded wins on the PGA Tour this season in Conners, Adam Svensson and Mackenzie Hughes. Taylor Pendrith, Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor make up the other half.

Conners, Pendrith, Hadwin and Svensson finished among the top 20 through the opening round, marking the first time that four players representing Canada were among the top 20 at the end of any round at any major championship.

Following the second round, Conners, Pendrith and Svensson were among the top 10, which marked the first time in majors history that three players representing Canada were among the top 10 after 36, 54 or 72 holes.

“There’s been so much support. Lots of Canadians here, with the border so close,” said Pendrith, who shared eighth place and four shots behind Conners.

“Feeling very comfortable here, but we always support each other, try to beat each other. It’s always nice to see some flags on the leaderboard. Nice to see so far.”

Svensson was 10th after round two, Hadwin slipped to 35th while Taylor and Hughes failed to qualify.

Conners shot a two-under-par 68 on Friday and sits tied with world number two Scottie Scheffler and number 11 Viktor Hovland for the lead. The only flaw on his scorecard was a bogey at the par-four seventh where his tee shot was rough.

If Conners or any of his compatriots stay on after the third round of this year’s second major, it could trigger the Canadian convoy to move into Oak Hill.

“It makes me smile. I mean I’m not a very fiery guy. Try not to go too high or low but yeah put a smile on my face. Good to know people are cheering for me.”

“It’s great to be part of the current Canadian golf cohort. I think whether it’s me or one of them or the other, someone makes noise every week. It’s great to be a part of it.”