UCC Golfer O’Driscoll Driving to Success
Walking fairways on the golf course is just a way of life for Jean O’Driscoll, who has been travelling around the world playing golf with UCC. In fact, just last month, the plus one handicap golfer was competing in Argentina at the illustrious Hurlingham Club in Buenos Aires, finishing 12th overall in a field of more than 80 competitors.Of course, competing so far afield while in college requires certain sacrifice as the second year Chemical and Process Engineering student explains: “Well, I had to postpone three exams at Christmas, as I was playing the tournament in Argentina, so I will now do them in the summer.”But the 20-year-old is a hard worker who, when asked of the difficulty in balancing college and golf, calmly replies: “I guess it’s kind of difficult, but you try and do as much of it as you possibly can do. Thankfully I’m one of those who is well able to get up early in the morning.”However, O’Driscoll sometimes has to miss tournaments due to her college studies, something she sees as an especially difficult sacrifice.“Last year it was kind of tough in that I missed three of the big competitions in the run up to exams, for example the Scottish Open.”O’Driscoll, who likes to use tips from Britain’s star track and field athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill in her preparations, trains hard each week and just listening to her training schedule tells you how committed she is to succeeding in golf. She goes to the gym to do strength and conditioning three times a week in the Mardyke with Jeff Gomez and then she sees her coach once a week for golf practice, while doing her own work three or four times a week. She estimates that she would do between eight and ten sessions a week.Being one of the top golfers in Ireland, the R & A scholarship holder has played golf with the famous Maguire twins from Cavan many times but has never competed against them in a head-to-head format, despite them being of similar age.The UCC Sports scholarship holder has many role models from the golfing world but she mentions meeting Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam at the 2009 Solheim Cup at the Killeen’s course in Meath as a particular standout moment.O’Driscoll would like to follow in the footsteps of Sorenstam someday by getting her degree first before going to America and turning pro. It’s something she hasn’t considered doing at the moment as she says: “I want to get a career first and not get to 26 having nothing behind me. I’ll get something under my belt first, then I might take a year out for golf before doing a Masters in something like Chemical Engineering.”
"...an Irish National [trophy] would be much appreciated!”
As for the year ahead, she’s not playing the Intervarsity series, but she’s looking forward to the Intervarsity Championships in mid-February at the European Club in Wicklow, with a possible final in Tramore in March. O’Driscoll cites winning a big prize as her main ambition for the year: “I’d like to win a major trophy and I wouldn’t mind which one it is, but an Irish National would be much appreciated!”She’ll have to get used to balancing her schedule, though, as the stroke play championships will take place straight after the exams and O’Driscoll admits: “I might be a bit rusty as my preparation will be affected by study in the build-up.”Somehow, though, one expects O’Driscoll to take it all in her stride and don’t be surprised to see this name in newspapers in the coming years.
