It has taken a while, but Christy O'Connor Junior's season has finally been kick-started. A tied-eighth place in the US Seniors Open on Sunday - 12 shots behind Hale Irwin - gave him his best finish of the year and a massive confidence boost heading into a hectic spell. He will seek to retain the State Farm Classic on the US Seniors Tour at Hobbit's Glen, starting on Friday, and then comes to these islands for the British Open and the British Seniors Open at Royal Co Down the following week, where he defends his title. On the following day he will play host to a charity celeb-am at Mount Wolseley, before returning to the US.

O'Connor shot an aggregate of five-under-par 279 in the US Seniors at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It left him tiedeighth, and gave him his biggest cheque of the season - $61,060.