Christy O'Connor Jnr

O'Connor became only the second Irishman to win his national open; the first since the 1940s.

His good play earned him his first Ryder Cup appearance that year.

Christy O'Connor Jnr (born Christopher O'Connor; 19 August 1948 – 6 January 2016) was an Irish professional golfer.

O'Connor was born in Knocknacarra, Ireland in 1948.

Knocknacarra is a village in Salthill that is within County Galway.

He was the son of Elizabeth (née Noone) and John O'Connor.

The family farmed cattle and pigs near a golf club.

O'Connor was not born with the "Junior" suffix.

In 1967, O'Connor turned professional.

He played on the European Tour.

Rather, it was added to his name after he turned pro in the 1970s to distinguish him from his uncle Christy O'Connor, also a well-known professional golfer.

(A "Senior" suffix was added to the elder Christy O'Connor's name too.)

It took him a few years to find his footing but in 1975 he won two tournaments and finished 7th on the Order of Merit.

His second victory of the year at the Carroll's Irish Open was particularly memorable.

In 1976, O'Connor would contend at the Open Championship for the first time.

He opened with the co-lead with Seve Ballesteros, shooting a first round 69 (−3), before falling out of contention with a 73 and 75.

He closed, however, with a one-under-par 71 round to finish in the top 5.

O'Connor would finish in the top 30 of the Order of Merit for the third straight year.

This good play helped O'Connor earn an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament for the only time as well.

Despite all of this success in his late 20s, O'Connor did not immediately progress into one of the stars of the European golfing scene.

While young pros like Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, and Bernhard Langer were taking the European Tour by storm O'Connor was in the background during these years.

In a five-season span, between 1977 and 1981, he recorded only four tops-10s and never finished better than 49th on the Order of Merit.

The 1982 season was a return to form.

Until his Ryder Cup heroics, O'Connor may be best known to international audiences for his performance at the 1985 Open Championship.

He opened with an 64 (−6), taking an astonishing four stroke lead after the first round.

He came back to the field with a second round 76 but was still in mix until the last day.

He played with champion Sandy Lyle in the fourth round and finished only two shots back, placing T-3.

He is best known for defeating American Fred Couples at the 1989 Ryder Cup, helping Europe secure the trophy.

He would build on this success, finishing in the top 30 of the Order of Merit every year, until winning the 1989 Jersey Open.

He defeated Englishman Denis Durnian in a playoff.

It was his first victory in 14 years, the longest gap between European Tour victories at the time.

This victory helped him earn membership for the 1989 Ryder Cup team.

Despite his recent good play he was criticized by many in the media for being selected.

He was not one of the nine automatic picks for the team; he was a captain's pick.

He had the worst world ranking (#71) of anyone on either team.

Early in the event, O'Connor confirmed these suspicions by losing his only team match on the second day of the event.

He wound up facing Fred Couples in Sunday singles play.

Though he only recorded two top-10s, he finished 40th on the Order of Merit and had his lowest scoring average ever.

The next two seasons were similarly solid, with a number of top-10s, similar Order of Merit ranking, and improved scoring average every year.

He would record an additional five top-10s that year and finish 12th on the Order of Merit, easily his best in a decade.