Earlier this week at the PURE Insurance Impacting First Tee, several First Tee boys and girls competing in the event spoke of the most significant values by which they abide on and off the course.

By leaps and bounds, the quality of perseverance topped each list. The same can be said for newly minted 50-year-old, Tim O’Neal.

Competing by virtue of a sponsor exemption in only his second PGA TOUR Champions event, O’Neal opened with an impressive 6-under 66 to claim a share of the 18-hole lead. At one point in round two at Spyglass Hill, the Savannah, GA. journeyman was 9-under and leading the field by two strokes. The father of two, though, would finish with a 1-over 73 and find himself three strokes off the lead headed into Sunday’s final round at 5-under 139.

”I got it to 9-under with the birdie on No. 4, but then had a bad break on the next hole,” he said. “I hit a good shot, but the ball plugged, and I ended up making a double bogey. I just got a bad break here and there. But, Sunday is a new day. I’m just going to go out there and, of course, try to win the tournament. But, I’m going to keep my head down and enjoy the scenery and hopefully I’ll make a few birdies.”

Anyone who has ever poked a tee into the ground knows golf to be very much a game of ups and downs, so to speak. One’s response to those bad bounces, both literally and proverbially, is what defines the quality of a person’s character and drive.

As well as anyone, O’Neal has handled every outcome with poise and grace. To be clear, though, much of his lengthy golf career has been cause for celebration, or at least encouragement. Backed by a golf scholarship, the former Jackson State Tiger collected 16 wins for the University. Add to that, nine titles on the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour (APGA) and three PGA TOUR Latinoamerica victories.

As a member of the Korn Ferry Tour from 2001-2007, O’Neal collected nine top-10 finishes in 154 starts, including a runner-up finish in Scranton, PA. in 2005.

Even with those encouraging bricks helping pave his way, the frustration of near misses held the potential of turning the 1997 Savannah Golf Hall of Fame inductee into one of the many who gave the game his all, but came up short.

An unfortunate turn of events down the final stretch of both the 2001 and 2004 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournaments left O’Neal one stroke shy of securing his TOUR card.

“There have been a few times when I could have stopped playing golf,” O’Neal admitted. “I was not playing well in 2011 and 2012. I didn’t have any sponsors and golf is expensive to try to play. I was in a bad spot. I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

Even when things weren’t going O’Neal’s way, it was his mother’s unwavering support of and belief in him that kept him going. O’Neal did just that.

“She said I should figure out a way and just believe that it was going to happen,” he said.

What happened was that O’Neal got an opportunity to compete in Morocco in 2011. He won the first event in which he competed, which was followed by two additional victories. He then recalled a made cut in a DP World Tour event in 2011. Bounces then, he believed, were working in his favor.

“I do very much believe that things happen for a reason,” he said “I just persevered and kept believing that things were going to work out and they did. And here I am today, still grinding hard and playing in this beautiful place, Pebble Beach. I never thought I’d be here. So yeah, it’s been awesome.”

O’Neal was exposed to the game early in life from his father at home in Savannah on a par-3 course. In high school, he played baseball, but in Georgia at the time, baseball and golf overlapped in the same season. Knowing he couldn’t do both, O’Neal chose golf.

“I grew up playing a public course, but a lot of these kids didn’t have access to any of that. When I was coming up there wasn’t a First Tee, any of that. I came up through junior tournaments they had in Savannah and built from there.”

Even though First Tee wasn’t around when O’Neal was growing up, O’Neal is a staunch supporter of it today and everything it represents and does for young people.

“Kids being introduced to golf through First Tee is amazing, because you can use what you learn in golf in life in a lot of different ways,” O’Neal said. “Just having access, being able to play golf is huge. What First Tee is doing with these kids is getting them involved in life lessons. It’s definitely huge, and I’ll do whatever I can to help at home with First Tee. I’ve always wanted to do that, and I have done that. You can’t go wrong when you’re teaching kids the lessons of life like First Tee does.”

Poised for the final round of the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee in terrific position, not only is O’Neal humble and grateful for the opportunity to showcase his talent, but he’s also confident. It’s a confidence backed not only by what he has achieved, but also by the fortitude he never strayed from when things didn’t go exactly his way.

“Perseverance is probably my strongest characteristic,” O’Neal said. “I’m not one to give up. I’m just a hard worker. I’ve always been a hard worker, especially as a way of keeping my dream alive. By working hard, I think good things will eventually happen for people.”

As airtight as his confidence remains under every circumstance, O’Neal’s resolve is anything but intense. It’s the envy of many, even if sometimes perplexing to his daughter and son, Jordan and Jayden.

“I’m really low key,” O’Neal laughed. “On Friday, I got done and my daughter asked me how I played. I told her I played pretty good. My son asked the same thing. Then, scores went up on Instagram, which I then sent to my daughter. She was, like, ‘You did pretty good? You’re leading the tournament!’ I’m not a guy who’s like ‘Look at Me, Look at Me’. I shy away from that. That’s just my personality. If someone asks how I finish, I’ll tell them. And, if someone asks how I played, good or bad, I’ll tell them. I’m confident in what I’m doing, but I’m not going to be the guy that’s shows off or brags about anything.”

As far as what may be next, O’Neal has signed up for the PGA TOUR Champions Qualifying Tournament in Tampa in November. But, when his talent on the golf course is coupled with his mental fortitude and calm demeanor, as it is here at this week’s PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee, there’s every chance Tampa may not be a necessary stop.

“Once again, I do believe that everything happens for a reason and, hopefully, this can be a new beginning for me,” O’Neal said. “I have an opportunity in today’s final round. Who knows what will happen if I play well? I might get a win, or I might get a top 10 to get into the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS after next week. I’m trying not to think about all of that, though. I’m just trying to think about being here, taking it one shot at a time and not getting ahead of myself. I know I can play solid golf, and when I do, I know the rest of that stuff will happen.”