O'Neill ready for mind games at Powerade

An Irish PGA assistant who aims to carve out a career as a sports psychologist will be fully focused on his own performance when he tees up in the Powerade PGA Assistants' Championship next month.

Royal Tara’s Dermot O’Neill is in action in the £32,500 grand final which is being staged in association with FootJoy at Coventry Golf Club from August 7-9.

O’Neill’s long term ambitions stretch beyond golf to a range of other sports in the field of sports psychology.

“It’s something I’ve been looking at doing in the future,” said O’Neill who has just completed the final year of the three year PGA training programme.

“I’ve worked with a couple of Gaelic football teams in Ireland so it’d be something that wouldn’t just be confined to golf.

“This is an area of sport that’s becoming more popular and I’m hoping to be part of that.”

For now though his efforts are focused on his playing and while he has never played at the Midlands venue, which will host the final for a third time, he hopes that he has managed to glean a little inside knowledge - with a 26-year-old course plan.

“I knew someone who played at Coventry in 1987,” he explained.

“They still had the course plan, and when I compared it to what I could see online, it hadn’t changed much so I hope I’ve prepared well and have done some homework ahead of the event.”

O’Neill has made two previous appearances in the final at East Sussex National  and hopes to make it third time lucky.

“Things just didn’t go right for me in my previous finals, last year I developed a shank before the event and I was facing an uphill battle. I missed the cut and I want to do better this time if I can.”

Other Irish players taking part at Coventry include:  Brian McIlhinney (Foyle Golf Centre); Brian O’Donovan (Douglas Golf Club); Enda Maguire (Dundalk Golf Club); John Murray (Royal County Down Golf Club); and Joseph Glynn (Dun Laoghaire Golf Club).