Inside Golf - September 2010

56
September 2010

www.insidegolf.com.au PGAIGI .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

DavidNewbery Todd overcomes serious break

PGA International Golf Institute graduate Todd O’Leary is such a determined young man that not even a badly broken arm could stop fulfilling his dream of becoming a PGA trainee professional.

In 2008, O’Leary was half way through his final year of a Diploma of Golf Management from PGA IGI and a Bachelor of Business degree majoring in Sports Management from Griffith University when he broke his arm.

At the time, he had just been chosen to represent PGA IGI and Griffith University at the Boyd Quaich Memorial tournament at St Andrews in Scotland.

His replacement, Sung Park, ended up winning the event and that helped soothe some of O’Leary’s pain.

“I’d love to say I broke my arm doing something heroic, but I fell over a fence and I now have two plates and 12 screws in my arm,” O’Leary said.

PGA IGI and Griffith University gave O’Leary a second chance and last year he played in the 64-year-old event, which is open to university students from around the world.

“I played better than I thought at St Andrews,” O’Leary said.

“I didn’t score that great because it’s one of
those course where you think you have played
okay and when you look at your scorecard it isn’t
exactly how it felt.

Todd O’Leary (left) with PGA IGI students Duc Pham (Vietnam), Brad Johnson (South Africa) and Hubert Choe (Korea)

“The biggest thing is if you are going to go into a traineeship the academic side alone prepares you so well for the work force.

“And playing against other ambitious PGA IGI students every week gives you a lot of drive as well.

“The PGA IGI program is definitely one I would
recommend to anyone.”
O’Leary, who grew up in Forster in NSW, says
his immediate goal is to complete his traineeship
later this year and then take his skills to Asia.

“I probably love teaching more than the playing side of golf so I’d love to get over to Asia or China and do some coaching,” he said.

“I want to go over there and work, get some money and experience behind me and then I may give playing the Asian Tour a crack.

“Eventually I want to have my own coaching
academy because I get a lot of satisfaction seeing
golfers improve after a lesson.”
Away from golf and in his limited spare time
O’Leary likes nothing better than picking up his
guitar and belting out a few tunes.

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