This time last year, when Kevin O'Connell decided to leave his job and make a last-ditch effort at a professional golf career, the former North Carolina standout had relatively few expectations.
Almost five years had passed since he'd regularly played against the type of competition that he'd be facing at the amateur level. So he wasn't focused solely on winning tournaments. Instead, he hoped to use each event as a stepping stone toward his ultimate goal.
"It was more so just wanting to point to some real tangible improvement," O'Connell said. "And at the end of the year, I felt like if that was the case and I was confident in my game, I was going to give Q-school (qualifying school) a shot.