Christy, winner of the 2000 Senior British Open, won his first Senior Tour event near Baltimore, the State Farm Senior Classic, when he survived both high heat and a late charge from Bruce Fleisher. Victory gave him an immediate calendar-year exemption and winning score of 18-under 198 at Hobbits Glen Golf Club at which he was the low 54-hole scorer of the year to date. Also made bids for victory at both The Home Depot Invitational and Nationwide Championship titles two months earlier. Christy shot 65 in the final round of The Home Depot Invitational and 68 in the last round at the Nationwide Championship.
Only a few months before turning 50, he placed 10th at the 1998 National Car Rental English Open. He earned a hero's status for his 1989 Ryder Cup singles victory over Fred Couples, hitting a memorable 2-iron approach to the 18th green at The Belfry to secure a one-up victory in helping Europe to a 14-14 tie and retention of the Ryder Cup. Christy also competed on the 1975 European Ryder Cup team. He was among the leaders on the PGA European Tour for two decades, including a third-place finish in the 1985 British Open at Royal St. Georges. He is a six-time member of the Irish World Cup team (1974, 1975, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1992) and also represented Ireland in the Alfred Dunhill Cup (1985, 1989, 1992), and the 1974 and 1984 Hennessey Cup. Christy O'Connor continues to expand his list of credentials.
Christy's best finish for 2001 was a tie for 6th at the Verizon Classic. With winnings of $81,835, his rank for the year is 92nd on the money list.
In 2000, Christy saved his best finish for last. He closed with a 66 on Sunday at the SBC Senior Classic in Los Angeles to post a T5 and earned him his largest check of the year, $61,600. This performance helped vault him from 56th to 50th on the money list, thus earning partially-exempt status for the 2001 season. He also tied for 8th at the U.S. Senior Open in July and a month later, was tied for 10th in defense of his title at the Foremost Insurance Championship near Grand Rapids. In the summer, he defended his title with an emotional victory in the Senior British Open at Northern Ireland's Royal County Down. He finished 13th on the European Seniors Tour Order of Merit.
2000 Senior British Open
