Golfing legend and World Golf Hall of Fame Member Christy O’Connor, Sr., known as “Himself,” passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 14, 2016.
He was born on December 21, 1924 in Knocknacarra, County Galway, in the west of Ireland – specifically on a small farm next to the Galway Golf Club. As he said, “I was consumed by golf from the moment I set eyes on it.”
As with many of the young golfers of his time, he learned his game by caddying at the Galway Golf Club. He turned professional at age 27 and played in the 1951 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, where The Open will return for the first time in 2019. O’Connor went on to compete in 26 Open Championships between 1951 and 1979 with five top-five finishes, including a tie for second place behind fellow Hall of Fame Member Peter Thomson at Royal Birkdale in 1965.
O’Connor, who dominated Irish golf throughout the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, was well-known on both the European Tour and throughout the United States. He held 24 wins on the European Tour, including two British Masters (1956 and 1959) and represented Great Britain and Ireland in 10 consecutive Ryder Cup matches from 1955 to 1973. In his second appearance in 1957 at the Lindrick Golf Club, he contributed to the first Ryder Cup victory for Great Britain and Ireland over the United States since 1933 by defeating Dow Finsterwald in his singles match 7&6.
Christy O’Connor was renowned for his extraordinary recovery shots and his crisp, clean strikes, formed from hitting hundreds of golf balls off of sandy beaches in the wintertime, which earned him the nickname “Wristy Christy.” On the golf course, O’Connor was an intense competitor and was quick to cite infractions of the rules and etiquette breaches, which often created disputes on and off the golf course.
As a consistent winner in the 1960s, he claimed a victory at least once a year throughout that decade. O’Connor won the Irish PGA Championship 10 times and the World Senior Championship twice. During his senior years, he took the crown in six PGA Senior Championships on the European Tour.
Inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009, Christy O’Connor’s memory will forever live in the land of the legends. He will be sorely missed and, as we say at the World Golf Hall of Fame and in Irish fashion, “Let’s raise a toast to ‘Himself’ for his wonderful golf and the spirit he brought to the game.”
