Six years after his last European Tour success, and four months to taking out his seniors pension-card in America and Europe, the remarkable Christy O'Connor Jnr turned back the clock to fire a seven-under-par 64 to grab a one-shot lead at Royal Mougins yesterday.
O'Connor, who had expected to use this season only as a limbering up exercise for the US and European Seniors tours, may now be thinking about picking up his fifth European Tour title 23 years after he earned his first, the Carrolls Irish Open of 1975.
His brilliant putting display - just 25 strokes on greens he rated nearly as tough as those of Augusta - took O'Connor Jnr to six-under-par, one better than Spain's Santiago Luna.
It was a splendid day for both ends of Ireland's age-scale, as David Higgins, who was born only three years before O'Connor won his first title at Woodbrook, is only one shot further back at four-under.
Higgins' second 69 took him to joint third on 138 with England's Mark Davis, the Australian Stephen Allan and Sweden's Pierre Fulke.
But there was no doubting whose round was the highlight of the day. Compiling 10 single putts is something almost unheard of by O'Connor no matter what the year, but, with a chip-in for one of nine birdies, the Galway-man produced the round of the week, finishing it off by ramming home a confident 15-footer downhill on the tricky and undulating 18th.
"It's true I was just hoping to stay in shape this year in readiness for playing in America, where I've already got three invitations, and for supporting the European Seniors Tour after my 50th on August the 19th," O'Connor said.
"But now I certainly have the game to win again. I'm playing really, really well, my best ballstriking for 10 years at least, better than when I won at Woburn in `92. If I can keep the putter fairly warm I won't be a million miles away on Sunday night."
"It wasn't difficult to get into trouble on the greens. It's very, very like Augusta in many ways. You've got to be on the right side of the greens or you're dead. You can't just stand up and hit it anywhere."
For Higgins, at least a top-10 tomorrow is vital if he is to feature in next week's lucrative Spanish Open. He knows the importance of keeping calm, a trait he has relearned this year.
"I'm back to keeping cool and thinking straight instead of racing ahead and getting frustrated," he said. "That's been a great help this week. For some people this is only a small event, but I have to make the most of it and give it everything I've got."
O'Connor is sharing an apartment with Eamonn Darcy this week and the odd couple might now be called the Cortisone Kids after their respective courses of injections to keep them running in order. Darcy, on one-over after a brave 72, just a couple of weeks after his cortisone treatment for his bad back, plays today. So does Philip Walton on the same mark after 71.
