CHRISTY O'CONNOR Jnr is facing surgery on a damaged left elbow which has seriously curtailed his tournament activities this season. Though he received further manipulative treatment in Kilkenny yesterday, the player is essentially resigned to the prospect of having an operation, preferably sooner rather than later.

"I've been told it would keep me out of action for up to five months," he said yesterday. "If it has to be done, I would be prepared to undergo surgery next month so that I would be recovered in time for the start of next season.

Indicative of O'Connor's plight is that he has earned only £3,800 from 11 tournaments this season and is currently 202nd in the Order of Merit. His last outing was in qualifying for the British Open last month, when he failed to get into the Royal Lytham field.

Ironically, his playing problems have come at a time of splendid achievement in his golf-course design work. Last Monday, he was involved in the official opening of Mount Wolseley GC, which he designed in Tullow, Co Carlow. And he will be at Gort. next Sunday for the official opening of their new course, which he also designed.

O'Connor will be 48 on the 19th of this month - an age at which most players would have retired from the tournament golf. But he explained: "I am looking to the senior tours, both in Europe and the US. So, I am anxious to maintain a high, competitive standard until I turn 50 in 1998."

A specialist has diagnosed the elbow problem as acute tendonitis which O'Connor traces back to last November when he played an exhibition match with his illustrious uncle, Christy Snr. "I have received treatment from five or six guys since then, including today, and I have also been to a specialist in Galway.

"It's been heartbreaking this Season, playing one good round and then having to withdraw from a tournament because of the pain. Senior (his uncle) has told me I'm crazy to be trying to keep going from week to week. I suppose I'm only fooling myself, but I've always been an optimist.

"Either way, I have now reached make or break time. Obviously I'm hoping this latest treatment works, but I suppose that, deep down, I'm ready to accept that surgery is the only answer. With a bit of luck, I could be back hitting balls again after Christmas."

He insisted: "I'm certainly not ready to throw in the towel as far as tournament golf in concerned. The way the European Senior Tour is developing, it should offer some excellent opportunities by the time I'm qualified to compete.

O'Connor's current exempt status on the European Tour is through Category 7, covering the top 40 in the career money list. With little chance of enhancing his current career earnings of £1,044,001, however, his exemption will have expired by the end of the season.

After that, he will have to rely on sponsors' invitations. Given his popularity on tour, however, there should be no great problem in that regard, certainly not one season.

So, as a last attempt at regaining competitive form, he and his good friend Eamonn Darcy will play some practice rounds together next week. "We're planning to return to Lahinch, where I haven't been for about 15 years. I love the place, particularly all the little chip and pitch shots you have to play there around the greens," said Darcy. "After that, we'll go up to Galway Bay."

As it happens, Darcy is 44 today. And he feels his tournament career has been. revitalised by an admirably consistent performance in the British Open in which he shot rounds of 73,69,71,70 for a share of 32nd. place behind Tom Lehman. "I made the mistake of playing in the Dutch Open the following week (he missed the cut) when I should have taken a rest," he said.

He is now on an extended break and will not return to action until the German Open on August 22nd-25th. This means he has withdrawn from next week's Czech Open in favour of the Canon European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre on September 5th-8th - the first qualifying event for the 1997 Ryder Cup team.

"After finishing 50th at Crans last year, I swore I'd never go back," he said. "As a drive and wedge course, it should suit me, but the general condition of the place was terrible. Since then, however, I understand that Seve has designed some alterations which are a considerable improvement."

Meanwhile, if all goes well, Darcy and O'Connor will play an exhibition match with Des Smyth and O'Connor Snr to mark the opening of the new Gort layout on Sunday. Their next assignment involves a trip south for the Motorola Pro-Am at Cork GC on Monday. Then on to Lahinch.

Going back to their appearance in the 1975 Ryder Cup, the pair characterise a period of considerable achievement by Irish professionals on the European Tour. It came at the end of an era which had been totally dominated by O'Connor Snr. Contemporaries included John O'Leary, who emulated O'Connor Jnr by winning the Irish Open in 1982, Eddie Polland and, of course, Smyth, who was a few years longer in making a tournament breakthrough.

Darcy and O'Connor Jnr became firm friends both on and off the golf course, winning the Sumrie Better-Ball tournament together in 1976 and again in 1978. Darcy's last victory was in the Desert Classic in 1990, two years before O'Connor captured the British Masters at Woburn.

As the older player, it was understandable that O'Connor should have broken through earlier, with his memorable triumph in the inaugural Irish Open at Woodbrook in 1975. Now, Darcy is attempting to pull his friend through an injury crisis which is threatening his career.

In that context, their presence at Lahinch next week would be very revealing.