Xavier’s O’Brien achieves lifelong dream

CEDAR RAPIDS - Since the age of seven, Xavier boys' golf coach and business teacher Tim O'Brien has had dreams shooting a hole-in-one.

He was finally able to complete this lifelong feat on the 12th hole at Saint Andrews Golf Course on Nov. 2. O'Brien used his trusty 8-iron on the par 3 143-yard hole.

O'Brien comes from a family of golfers where holes-in-one always were the topic of conversation. His brother and father each have one, and his mother set the family record of three holes-in-one during her lifetime.

'It really takes a lot of pressure off me now that I'm in the club,” O'Brien said.

O'Brien's hole-in-one happened on a very important day, the anniversary of his mother's death.

'I could feel her presence after my hole-in-one, and I threw the ball up to her after,” O'Brien said.

The Xavier golf coach's ultimate goal is to beat the family record of holes-in-one.

'I won't stop until I get four of them, one more than my mom has,” O'Brien said. 'After all the years and all the golf I have played in my lifetime, I have come so close on more than one occasion and to finally get the elusive hole-in-one was an indescribable feeling.”