There is widespread shock in the World of Golf this morning at the news that Irish golfing legend Christy O’Connor Junior has died suddenly while on holidays in Tenerife at the age of 67.
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He is also remembered for his work in golf course design which spanned courses across Ireland and Europe.
He followed that up a few months later with a famous one-stroke win at the Carroll’s Irish Open in August of that year. The golfer turned professional in 1967 and was at the forefront of the PGA European Tour for over two decades.
During a fine career, the Galway man picked up four wins on the European Tour and collected two British Open Senior titles (1999, 2000), as well as playing in two Ryder Cups.
At home Christy O’Connor was an active member of Galway Bay Golf Club.
The Golf Union of Ireland said ” RIP Christy O’Connor Jnr- will we ever forget this iconic moment”.
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That victory helped secure a Ryder Cup spot that year and he played in the competition again 14 years later. O’Connor’s only Masters appearance came in 1977. The couple’s son Darren O’Connor died at the age of 17 in a auto crash near Kileeneymore, Co Galway in September 1998.
