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Christy O'Connor
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EXEMPT STATUS: Special
Medical Extension
FULL NAME: Christy Patrick O'Connor, Jr.
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 190
BIRTHDATE: August 19, 1948
BIRTHPLACE: Galway, Ireland
RESIDENCE: Galway, Ireland
FAMILY: Wife, Ann; Ann (1977), Nigel (1979)
SPECIAL INTERESTS: Shooting, fishing, horseback
riding, golf course design
TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 1967
JOINED TOUR: 1999
CLUB AFFILIATION: Galway Bay G & CC, Ireland
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| SENIOR TOUR Victories |
| (2) 1999 State Farm Senior Classic, Foremost Insurance
Championship. |
| International Victories |
| 1999 Senior British Open. 2000 Senior British Open presented
by Mastercard. |
| Other Victories |
| 1973 Irish Match Play Championship. 1974 Zambia Open.
1975 Carrolls Irish Open, Martini International, Irish
Match Play Championship, Irish Dunlop Tournament. 1976
Sumrie-Bournemouth Better-Ball (with Eamon Darcy). 1977
Irish Match Play Championship. 1978 Sumrie-Bournemouth
Better-Ball (with Eamon Darcy). 1989 Jersey European Airways
Open. 1990 555 Kenya Open. 1992 Dunhill British Masters.
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| Current Year SENIOR PGA TOUR Money
and Positions |
| $66,979 (89) |
| Current Year SENIOR TOUR Best Finishes |
| T24--Royal Caribbean Classic; T25--Audi Senior Classic |
| Current Year SENIOR TOUR Best Round |
| 66 at Round 2, BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland |
| Best PGA TOUR Finishes |
| T16--1992 NEC World Series of Golf. |
| Best 2001 SENIOR TOUR Finishes |
| T6--Verizon Classic |
| 2001 Season SENIOR TOUR |
| Tournaments Entered--4; in money--4; Top-10 finishes--1 |
| 2001 Season Highlights |
| Played in just four events before suffering a broken
left leg in late March when a motorcycle he was polishing
fell on his leg at home in Ireland. Fractured the tibia
and the fibula near the bottom of the leg and had more
than a dozen pins inserted in the leg. Prior to his accident,
had earned $81,835 in his four starts with best finish
coming in Tampa at the Verizon Classic. Opened with a
71 and followed with a pair of 69s to earn $50,400. His
other top finish was a T18 at the Siebel Classic in Silicon
Valley, his final event before the mishap. |
| Career Highlights |
| 2000: Saved his best finish for last. Closed with a
66 on Sunday at the SBC Senior Classic in Los Angeles
to post a T5 and earned him his largest check of the year
-- $61,600. Performance helped vault him from 56th to
50th on the money list, thus earning partially-exempt
status for the 2001 season...Also T8 at the U.S. Senior
Open in July and a month later, was T10 in defense of
his title at the Foremost Insurance Championship near
Grand Rapids...Shared the 36-hole lead in defense of his
State Farm Senior Classic title, but T16 after a disappointing
76 on Sunday...Took time in the summer to defend his title
with an emotional victory in the Senior British Open at
Northern Ireland's Royal County Down. Won the event by
two strokes over John Bland...Finished 13th on the European
Seniors Tour Order of Merit...Earned a berth in the British
Open by virtue of his 1999 win in the Senior British Open
and finished T60 at St. Andrews in his 20th appearance
at the historic event. 1999: Joined Gary McCord as the
only other player to win an event after receiving a sponsor's
exemption...Claimed his first title near Baltimore at
the State Farm Senior Classic when he survived both high
heat and a late charge from Bruce Fleisher to win by one
stroke. Dedicated the wire-to-wire victory to his son
Darren, who had died in a tragic auto accident 10 months
earlier...Won for a second time in mid-August when he
waltzed to a four-stroke victory over Jim Thorpe, John
Jacobs and defending champion George Archer at the Foremost
Insurance Championship near Grand Rapids. Dedicated that
victory to his long-time friend, Miles Murphy, who died
during the event after a long battle with cancer...Had
made a serious run at victory in late April at The Home
Depot Invitational...Shot 65 in the final round at the
TPC of Piper Glen, but fell two strokes short of Bruce
Fleisher in Charlotte...Took time out of his SENIOR TOUR
schedule to win the Senior British Open in Northern Ireland.
Rallied from an opening-round 76 to defeat John Bland
by three strokes at Royal Portrush GC...Debuted on the
SENIOR TOUR at the PGA Seniors' Championship and finished
T50 at PGA National. |
| Personal |
| Did not join the SENIOR TOUR until April 1999, due to
the death of his 17-year-old son Darren in an auto accident
in September 1998...Lifelong inspiration has been his
uncle and namesake, Christy O'Connor, Sr. |
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