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Since
1997, O'Connor has been the Director of
Instruction at his golf academy at Broken
Arrow Golf Club in Lockport. Other stops
in his career have included Cog Hill Golf
Club in Lemont (Teaching Professional:
1989-96), Inwood Golf Club in Joliet (Head
Teaching Professional: 1986-88) and the
Joliet Golf Center (Director of Golf/Owner:
1976-85).
Besides
the state of Illinois, O'Connor, who specializes
in the areas of teaching, marketing, merchandising
and organizing clinics and golf schools,
has also worked in New York, South Carolina,
California and Missouri.
Numerous
golfers have benefited from O'Connor's
knowledge, including five who have competed
at the NCAA Division I level. Three others
are members of the Professional Golf Management
(PGM) Program, two are PGA apprentices,
one is a Class A PGA professional and
another is on the Mini Tour.
O'Connor
also taught Lockport's Drew Pierson, who
won the high school state championship
in 2000, and Adam Saban, who is ranked
nationally on the Plantation Junior Golf
Tour.
Among
O'Connor's many highlights as a player
was the 1996 IPGA Senior Stroke Play title
he won at Timber Trails.
O'Connor,
a Class A PGA member for 30 years and
a Senior PGA Tour Associate for four years,
has been highly visible in the media.
Most recently, he has written a weekly
golf-tips article for the Herald News,
published articles for Publinks and Player
Magazine and hosted talk shows on WJOL
1340 AM and on cable television for Media
One. O'Connor also was a frequent guest
on Fox Television's weekly Golf Scene
show and on ESPN Radio's golf talk program.
O'Connor
has added another responsibility to his
position this year as becomes the women's
golf chairman and rater for Region VII
in the NAIA.
For
the last 16 years, O'Connor has served
as a WJOL correspondent at the Western
Open, and for nine years he previewed
the Western Open for Continental Cable.
O'Connor
and his wife, Virginia, reside in Shorewood.
They have three adult children, Becky,
Terry and Jackie.
ALEXIS
MIHELICH
ASSISTANT COACH
Second-year
assistant coach Alexis Mihelich joined
the University of St. Francis staff in
2005-06 after completing a successful
collegiate career at the University of
New Orleans (LA) .
As
a senior with the Privateers, Mihelich
served as a team captain and competed
in the Sun Belt Conference Championships.
She also made the conference's academic
honor roll in each of her three seasons
before graduating with a bachelor's degree
in education. Other academic accomplishments
included posting a 3.36 GPA and earning
membership in the Kappa Delta Pi International
Honor Society.
Mihelich
played her freshman season at Lewis University,
where she earned the Flyers' MVP award.
She was on the Student-Athlete Advisory
board at both New Orleans and Lewis.
Prior
to her arrival at USF, Mihelich spent
the 2004-05 season as the boys' and girls'
head golf coach at Pope John Paul ll High
School in Slidell, LA. She also was an
intern at UNO, working in the student-athlete
support/academic services department,
as well as assisting with compliance issues.
Mihelich,
who is in the process of applying for
membership in the LPGA, won the first
stop on the Midwest Women's College Golf
Tour in June 2005. Two weeks later on
July 4, she established the women's course
record at Morris Country Club with her
round of 70. The Lincoln-Way High School
graduate is a three-time Women's Club
Championship title holder at the Morris
Country Club.
In
2002, Mihelich placed first in her division
at the Illinois Women's State Amateur
Tournament in addition to playing in the
Illinois Women's Open. Those came a year
after she won the women's college division
in The Sizzler Tournament at Cog Hill
Golf and Country Club in Lemont.
Mihelich's
likeness can be found on the arcade game
Golden Tee Live, which utilized her swing
and character model. Furthermore, she
was featured in the May 2005 issue of
Golf Magazine along with six newspapers,
including the Chicago Tribune and Chicago
Sun-Times.
Besides
assisting head coach Tom O'Connor at USF,
Mihelich also is a golf instructor at
the Green Garden Country Club in Frankfort,
Ill.
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