Tim O'Neal

O'Neal started playing golf at age 5 when his parents got him started in the game. He has used Butch Harmon as a coach. Before turning pro, O'Neal had a distinguished amateur career, winning 16 college tournaments at Jackson State University. He also won the Georgia Amateur Championship in 1997.

Actor Will Smith sponsored him between 2000 and 2002. He missed earning the PGA Tour card by only one shot twice, in 2000 and 2004.

2000 Notes: Made three of six cuts. Their best finish was a T-33rd at the Carolina Classic. He has also played on the Golden Bear Tour, Hooters Tour, and the Maverick Tour.

2001 Notes: Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 23; rounds played - 76; in money - 17; top-10 finishes - 2; scoring average - 70.72 (ranked 40th); money - $75,109 (ranked 59th); Best finish, T-6th Carolina Classic.

2003 Notes: Co-winner of the John O. Classic on the Golden Bear Tour Summer Series.

2005 Notes: He played on the Korn Ferry Tour after just missing his PGA Tour card by a single stroke at the 2004 PGA Tour Q-School.

2005 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 25; rounds played - 79; in money - 15; top-10 finishes - 2; scoring average - 71.11 (ranked 59th); money - $120,722 (ranked 44th); Best finish, Earned the best finish of his Korn Ferry Tour career with a T-2nd at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic.

2006 Notes: Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 26; rounds played - 81; in money - 14; top-10 finishes - 5; scoring average - 70.77 (ranked 35th); money - $150,205 (ranked 36th); Best finish, T-3rd Scholarship America.

2007 Notes: Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 27; rounds played - 83; in money - 15; top-10 finishes - 0; scoring average - 70.72 (ranked 40th); money - $55,448 (ranked 100th); Best finish, T-12th Panama Championship.

2008 Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 13; rounds played - 35; in money - 4; top-10 finishes - 0; scoring average - 71.54 (ranked 88th); money - $10,317 (ranked 192nd); Best finish, T-24th Knoxville Open.

2009 Notes: Earned Asian Tour status but could only play one tournament due to the lack of sponsorship.

2011 Notes: O'Neal spent most of the year away from competition and gave golf lessons. He was asked to take over the Jackson State golf program, but he declined.

2012 Notes: Played the Qualifying Tournament for the inaugural season of PGA Tour Latinoamerica in August but failed to earn status.

2013 Notes: Finished the PGA Tour Latinoamerica season ranked No. 3 in the Order of Merit to join Los Cinco, who earned Korn Ferry Tour status for 2014. He had two victories (66 Arturo Calle Colombian Open Presentado por Diners Club, Chile Open), five top-5 finishes, eight top-25 finishes, and no missed cuts in 11 starts. He earned $90,015 in prize money.

2014 Notes: Korn Ferry Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 20; rounds played - 62; in money - 11; top-10 finishes - 0; scoring average - 71.00 (ranked 105th); money - $39,064 (ranked 110th); Best finish, T-20th, Albertsons Boise Open.

2015 Notes: Made 11 cuts in 16 starts and recorded a victory and four other top-25s to finish the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica season ranked 14th on the Order of Merit. Won the Casa de Campo Dominican Republic Open. At age 42, O'Neal finally played his first PGA Tour event after qualifying for the 2015 U.S. Open, where he missed the cut. O'Neal also played on the Advocates Pro Golf Tour, a professional golf tour that aims to open more playing opportunities for minorities

2017 Notes: Played in 13 PGA Tour Latinoamerica tournaments. Made it to the weekend nine times, posting one top-10 that led to a 64th-place Order of Merit finish. Best finish, T-7th at the BMW Jamaica Classic.

After that, O'Neal played sparingly, and his career started to falter after losing his Korn Tour privileges. He also played on the Asian Tour, the eGolf Professional Tour, the EPD Tour, and the Morocco-based Atlas Pro Tour. In the United States was T-62nd in the 2018 Savannah Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. Missed the cut in the 2019 Genesis Open, at the 2020 & '21 Savannah Golf Championship, in the 2021 Rocket Mortgage, and in the 2022 Simmons Bank Open on the Korn Ferry Tour.

2022 Notes: He turned 50 in August and was given a sponsor exemption to play in his first senior event, finishing T-33rd at the Ascension Charity Classic. Also got an exemption to the Pure Insurance Championship and finished T-19th. At the end of the year, he finished T-12th in the first stage of the PGA Tour Champions Qualifying Tournament and got his card for the PGA Tour Champions with a T-3rd finish.

2023 Notes: Played in 24 PGA Tour Champions events with three top-ten finishes. He was 44th in the Schwab Cup and 44th on the money list with earnings of $490,470. Got his first PGA Tour Champions Tour top-ten, finishing T-10th at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. Finished T-9th at the Boeing Classic after rounds of 70-66-74 for his second top-10. Finished T-8th at 11-under for his third top-10 finish this season. Ended his season with a T-25th finish at the TimberTech Championship.

2024 Notes: Played in 26 PGA Tour Champions events with two top-ten finishes. Was 16th on the Schwab point list and 31st on the Schwab money list with earnings of $804,081. Captured his first career PGA Tour Champions victory at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, after shooting a final round 65. O'Neal also had a T-7th finish at the Sanford International among his 26 starts. He ended his season finishing T-17th at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

2025 Notes: Played in 27 PGA Tour Champions events with three top-ten finishes. Was 36th on the Schwab point list and 36th on the Schwab money list with earnings of $666,521. Best finish T-4th at the SAS Championship.

2026 Notes: Best finish, T-10th at the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational.