KAPALUA, Hawaii – As news of Christy O’Connor Jr.’s death spread Wednesday, some of the game’s major champions saluted one of Ireland’s greatest champions.
Padraig Harrington, speaking at Kapalua Resort before this week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions, recalled O’Connor as “a legend in Irish golf" who celebrated life and elevated the game.
O’Connor, 67, died Wednesday while on vacation in Spain, according to media reports in Ireland and the U.K. He won four times on the European Tour.
Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell knew O’Connor through his sons as amateur golfers and relished time with the family.