Legendary golfer Christy O’Connor senior has died at the age of 91.
O’Connor was a trail-blazer for Irish and European golf, playing in a remarkable ten consecutive Ryder Cups.
He also played in 15 World Cups, famously winning in 1958 with Harry Bradshaw.
The second placed finished at the 1965 British Open was the closest he came to winning a Major.
He had ten top-ten finishes and as he often explained, his chances of winning a Major were limited by the fact that he could rarely afford to travel to the United States so he only got to play in one of the four annual big events.
He was also the first golfer to win a five-figure sum in Europe and he was held in hugely high esteem by players around the world, past and present.
It is reported that the Galway native died peacefully in hospital on Saturday.
His nephew Christy O’Connor junior died earlier this year aged 67.
Ryder Cup director Richard Hills said: "Today we have lost not only one of the greatest Ryder Cup players the game has even seen, but an incredible man.
"When Seve first came out on tour in 1976, he would seek out Christy to watch him"
"My abiding memory of Christy is phoning him with George O'Grady to break the news that he'd been elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009, and he wouldn't believe us.
"He said he'd only believe it if he saw it in writing, so I was dispatched to Royal Dublin to present him with a letter. As he read it, his face broke into a huge grin and he gave me a massive bear hug.
"The other thing that sticks out for me is how Seve [Ballesteros] used to watch him. When Seve, who as we all know was a genius of a player, first came out on tour in 1976, he would seek out Christy to watch him practise and watch his hands.
Christy was built like a bull but he had incredible hands for golf.
"Christy did so much for the game of golf and his legacy will long live on. After the tragic, sudden death of his nephew, Christy O'Connor Jr, in January, golf has lost two of its greatest men.
"On behalf of everyone at the European Tour, our condolences go to the O'Connor family."
