CHRISTY O'CONNOR Jnr rolled back the years yesterday when the Benson and Hedges International Open began at The Oxfordshire club, a four under par 68 putting him on the heels of first round leader Greg Turner.
It was only O'Connor's fifth tournament in the last 11 months following laser surgery to cure tennis elbow in his left arm, but the quality of golf produced by the silver haired Galway golfer evoked memories of his glory days as a Ryder Cup hero.
Four birdies in a faultless outing, despite a chilly crosswind, occasional shower, and temperature around 10 degrees, put O'Connor Jnr in contention for the first title of the British and Irish professional season. He also showed that Jose Maria Olazabal does not have a monopoly on heart warming comebacks.
Christy's career was in danger of being terminated when he had to quit playing golf at the end of 1995. "I could not lift a club because of the pain in my left wrist and arm, and it was impossible to lift a cup of coffee or squeeze a tube of toothpaste," he recalled.
After rest and physiotherapy failed to cure the problem, he found his way to the Blackrock clinic and Irish Olympic doctor Conor O'Brien, who diagnosed laser treatment.
"It was like placing your hand on a red hot grill and my arm went black from the burns," said O'Connor. He also found that be had become 50lb weaker in muscle power than his right arm. Regular muscle strengthening exercises have reduced the disparity, and he also wears a specially designed supporting strap.
"It cost me £12,000 for the treatment but I could not have given up the game," he added.
My family is steeped in golf and the whole house is golf. I was the only one in it not playing, and though at first it was a good excuse for a week off. I missed the crack and being on Tour. I pity anybody who has these problems. I know exactly bow Olazabal must have felt, especially being so young. You appreciate your life when you are out of it."
A first victory since his 1992 British Masters triumph at Woburn may be a tall order on such a gruelling test as the Oxfordshire, but even the inform Darren Clarke could not match O'Connor Jnr yesterday.
Clarke's 69 contained five birdies, but he finished one behind after a stroke of bad luck at the eighth, his 17th, when he drove into an old divot that had been repaired with sand. Faced with a second shot of 130 yards over a lake, Clarke had to err on the side of caution and chose a six iron for his recovery.
It came out fast and low, and put him in a position beyond the green from where he was unable to get up and down for his par.
Ronan Rafferty began solidly with a par 72, with Padraig Harrington, Philip Walton, Eamonn Darcy, and Kent based Dubliner John Murray all on 73.
Harrington ran up 13 shots at the 17th in the second round last year, and had an eight at the third, his 11th, yesterday, after putting his three wood second shot into the lake, then taking four to get down from the fringe of the green. But he had birdies at the second and 11th, and pars everywhere else to limit the damage to the minimum.
Murray (32), the club professional at the Shortlands club in Bromley, is playing his first European Tour event, so an opening effort in which his only mistake was to take four putts and double bogey the eighth was excellent.
