Genius of Senior earns Royal seal on his 90th birthday

'Senior' as he is known by all and sundry, is still a legendary figure in the annals of golf.

He commands the respect of fellow professionals, young and old, at home and abroad for his feats on the tournament circuit during the 1950s, '60s, and into the '70s.

A ten-time Ryder Cup player, and multi-winner of titles on what is now known as the European Tour, Christy played in the era when a professional's duties to his club were deemed more important than competing in tournaments.

The luxury lifestyle and Lottery level rewards available to those at the top of the golfing profession in the modern era are light years away from the money earned in O'Connor's prime, but, it must be said, Christy didn't do too badly at all.

In his time tournaments were largely confined to Britain and Ireland, and prize funds took a long time to reach significant amounts.

However, Christy created a huge sensation in 1955 when he won the Swallow-Penfold tournament at Southport and Ainsdale, and became the first golfer to win a first prize cheque of £1,000. In 1970, he again broke the mould, taking home the first five-figure cheque on this side of the Atlantic - £25,000 - for topping the leaderboard in the John Player Classic.

Des Smyth, a professional for 40 years, was a very young man when he first got the opportunity to play with Christy Senior in the Links Golf Society.

Legend

The Links had started in 1966, and Smyth was till a teenage amateur at the time he first encountered the legend that was Christy in the early 1970s in the Society's outings. "I played a few times with Christy in the Links when I was a teenager.

"It was fantastic for me to get that opportunity. He was a wonderful player, and a wonderful person.

"The only intimidating part about playing with him was seeing at close quarters how talented Christy was.

"It made you realise how much you'd have to do to make the grade.

"He was, and is, a great guy. I played a number of rounds with him. He was always very helpful and willing to help a young pro, and was a very encouraging person.

"Christy was always someone you admired because of his track record, his ability, and his Ryder Cup success," said Smyth.

Internationally, top players such as Jack Nicklaus, Roberto De Vicenzo, Gary Player, Peter Alliss and Seve Ballesteros accorded Senior huge respect for the quality of his play, his beautifully-honed swing and his competitive ability.

Player recalled in his autobiography 'To Be the Best' (Pan Books), how Christy Senior unwittingly inspired the South African in the 1973 Open Championship in Troon.

Player was struggling with his game and confided to his wife Vivienne that, at the age of 38, he feared his ability to compete at the top level was gone.

Christy Senior, then a few months short of his 49th birthday, was also at Troon, and Player happened to see Christy practicing.

Player wrote: "He remains, with Sam Snead, the most naturally gifted golfer I have ever seen," and called Christy's skills "instinctive."

He continued: "I watched his casual effortless style and how he moved the club on the backswing so that the clubface was open at the top. I watched and studied.

"I never said a word and I am not sure Christy even realised how intently I scrutinised his method. I decided to copy it, and went to work immediately with that old golfer's trick of 'thinking' you are someone else.

"I 'thought' Christy O'Connor, and in that last round of the Open I scored 69; too late to affect the outcome of the contest, won by Tom Weiskopf, but effective enough to give me hope."

Senior's swing was impressive, but it was not "instinctive" and did not come naturally in the sense of his waking up one day and finding he had a great golfing method.

Instead, O'Connor honed his swing the hard way with hours and hours of practice, hitting shots off the sand on the beach at Bundoran where he was the club pro for eight years, and he always continued to work at it.

Padraig Harrington was made aware of just what it took to produce the Christy Senior swing and golf game.

"One of the first times I played with Christy Senior, I saw him warming up beforehand. It was just poetry in motion, out in Royal Dublin, and after the round I came in and said, 'Wow Christy, you have such a natural golf swing.'

"He held on to me for an hour telling me how this was not a natural golf swing, and he basically went through every bit of practice he ever did to get his golf swing. It was a tremendous piece of advice," said Harrington.

Attainable

Christy achieved huge success and lasting fame in tournament golf, but he never managed to win the Major championship which his supporters felt was deserved and attainable.

Many other fine Irish professionals also missed out on a British Open between 1947 when Fred Daly won the Claret Jug, and 2007 when Padraig Harrington ended a 60-year wait for the next Irish winner of the title.

Meanwhile, Darren Clarke, Open champion of 2011, shot a one-under par 71 for a 143 total in the Dubai Open at the Els Course yesterday. The Northern Irishman made the cut for the weekend and is six shots behind joint leaders Shiv Kapur and Pavit Tangkamolprasert.

Christy O'Connor Senior Factfile

Born: Galway, December 21, 1924

Clubs: Bundoran 1951-1959; Royal Dublin 1959 - present.

Career highlights:

Ryder Cup - 10 appearances

Won Order of Merit 1961 and 1962

Dunlop Masters (2)

Carrolls International (4)

Canada/World Cup 1958 (with

Harry Bradshaw)

World Seniors title (2)

British Seniors PGA (6)

Texaco Golf Sportstar (5)

Texaco Supreme Sportstar 1970

Texaco Hall of Fame 1991

Irish PGA champion (10 times)

Won first £1,000 prize 1955

(Swallow-Penfold tournament)

Won first £25,000 prize 1970

(John Player Classic)