Prospects brighten for O'Neal
Former Jackson State golfing standout making progress on Nationwide Tour
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Playing in his sixth Nationwide Tour event of the young season
last weekend at the rain-shortened BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs in
the South Carolina mountains, O'Neal fashioned three rounds of three-under
scores (68-68-69) to tie for fifth at nine-under 205.
His first top-ten finish of the year and best-ever finish on the Nationwide Tour earned the 31-year old his best payday of the season, $22,812.50. The results boosted him to 33rd on the Tour's money list with $30,535.
"I haven't played my best golf yet out here," said O'Neal Sunday after finishing his round with a birdie on the final hole. "The season's early. Everybody struggled at the beginning. It's just a matter of playing, doing the same thing next week."
O'Neal and the tour stay in the Carolinas this week with the Rex Hospital Open at the TPC at Wakefield Plantation outside of Raleigh, N.C.
The Savannah, Ga., native turned pro in 1997 and has endured his share of ups and downs since leaving JSU as the most decorated golfer in SWAC history. O'Neal, four times picked as SWAC player of the year, led his team to four SWAC titles and an unprecedented spot in the NCAA Div. I championship field, the first ever for a black college program, and also earned himself a shot at the NCAA individual title.
He garnered a lot of attention his final year at JSU for declining an invitation to play for the individual NCAA title after he felt his team was snubbed for the national tournament. He garnered nearly as much attention for leading all collegiate golfers in stroke average for most of his senior season, one year after Tigers Woods held the same distinction.
Hailed as the next Woods, as much for his brilliant play on the links as his skin color, O'Neal has fought his way through golf's minor leagues while twice falling one shot short of earning his tour card in PGA Tour Qualifying School, most recently in December. He had full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour in 2001 finishing 59th on the money list.
Through it all, he has remained undaunted in his quest.
"In my eyes. I missed getting my card by a couple of strokes twice," said O'Neal. " I know it's just a matter of time. As long as I stay consistent, I know I'll be out there next year."
This year, as a result of his Q-School finish, he is again playing with full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour, just one step below the PGA Tour. He can earn his Tour card by finishing among the top 20 money leaders or by winning three times during the season which earns him an immediate "battlefield promotion" to the PGA Tour.
He began the season by missing cuts in the first two Nationwide events played in Panama (BellSouth Panama Championship) and Australia (Jacob Creek Open). He earned his first paycheck of the year ($2,652.23) after he tied for 38th at the New Zealand PGA Championship in late February.
Back on American soil, he entered the final round of the Chitimacha Louisiana Open in late March tied for tenth but shot himself out of contention with a final round 80. He finished tied for 49th.
In early April he got sponsor's exemptions into two PGA Tour events, the BellSouth Classic and the MCI Heritage, but was unable to make the cut in either. He returned to the Nationwide Tour two weeks ago and posted his best finish to that date, a tie for 26th at the Virginia Beach Open.
At the BMW event, O'Neal, one of the longest hitters on the tour, averaged 299.5 yards off the tee to finish seventh in driving distance but was the leader in driving accuracy hitting 92.5 percent of the fairways. In Sunday's final round, he hit 100 percent of the fairways at Cliff's Valley Country Club while notching five birdies and two bogeys. He also missed several other birdie chances.
"I still made a few mistakes," said O'Neal, who tied for the lead in the field with two eagles and tied for eighth with 15 birdies but also made ten bogeys. "You're going to make mistakes, but as soon as I start eliminating more of my mistakes, I'll start winning.
"They're just mental errors, really. I played pretty solid. I'm making a lot of birdies but I'm still making a few bogeys here and there that I shouldn't make. You're not going to make them all but you just try to stay consistent. As long as you're right there, and as long as you give yourself a chance to win, eventually you're going to break through."
He got help this week from former JSU teammate, A. J. Montecinos, who drove from all the way from his home in Palm Springs, Ca., to caddie for his friend.
"I'd been seeing some of Tim's scores and I knew this was not the Tim O'Neal I'm familiar with," said Montecinos. "I just think he needed someone on the bag that knows his game."
"The season is just getting started," said O'Neal. "Once I get to playing, I expect to win a few times this year."
© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.