Dan O’Neill On The Road For Pro Tourneys

Jamestown’s Dan O’Neill hits the road tomorrow for Savannah, Georgia to prepare for a series of professional golf tournaments.Following practice rounds in Savannah on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the Savannah Inn Classic II, to be held January 24 through February 26, Dan heads west to Monterrey, Mexico for the Second Mexican Tour, January 10-13.

There the area pro will match his talents against such players as Raymond Sota, the leading Spanish pro and winner of the tour last year, and one of the few black American pros, Charlie Sifford, who won the tour two years ago.

The Mexican Tour jumps to Guadalajara for the final rounds January 17-20.

On the 21st it’s back to Savannah. The Savannah Inn Classic is know for drawing the best of the secondary pro golfers. Total prize money will be in the neighborhood of $375,000.

Dan will be traveling around with the aid of a group known as the DONS (Dan O’Neill Sponsors). The DONS include Dan’s father, Bob, Jim Keim Jr., and Jack M. Nelan, Dan’s business agent. Keim and Dan “grew up together” at Maplehurst.

McFadden Ford of Jamestown is also backing the young man in his ventures. Dan works on the public relations staff there and has received various types of aid to get him on his way.

There’s something new about Dan, at least to anyone who has known him awhile.

The story goes like this: Back in October, he was planning to play in the Savannah November Tournament. He accidentally sliced off the end of his ring finger on his left hand to put an end to the journey before it began.

That isn’t the what’s new of it though.

It ties into his visits with the doctor while getting the finger treated. He had his eyes examined, and for the first time in his life, he is not wearing glasses full time.

That finger injury cost him eight weeks off the greens.

Dan figures he can do better playing against the group of pro golfers in Mexico and Savannah right now than some of the PGA boys.

Last year he tried to qualify for one of the 25 PGA cards given out annually. He missed out against the other 449 in the running, but there’s always this year.

As far as his background, here are some instances. In his first two pro tournaments he placed 18th. The first was the Valley of the Sun Tourney in Arizona in August of ‘73. In September he played in the Nacogdoches Open in Texas. There he was one shot behind U. S. Open Champ Orville Moody.

He was the runner-up in the New York State Amateur and Canadian Amateur Tournaments last year.

Back in 1972 and 1973 Dan was the Eastern Intercollegiate Association golf champion and made the cut at Pebble Beach, Calif., to be one of three amateurs in the National Open.

The list of victories for O’Neill throughout the years is almost endless.

Since he was 10-years-old he has had a green to practice on in his backyard.

Dan added that his father and Moon Brook pro Ed Golen, along with many others, have helped him develop proper swings and style.