Young County Roscommon golfer follows his dream

There are few sports that require those, who want to be successful or simply earn a living, to start as early as golf does.

There are, of course, exceptions. Larry Nelson only started the sport at 21 years of age when returning from serving in Vietnam before becoming a three-time Major champion. However, for every Larry Nelson, there are thousands of kids all over the world who are devoting hours of their lives to the sport in the early years of their childhood.

Taughmaconnell native, Isaac Oliver, falls into the latter category. When his mother Concepta brought him home a plastic golf club when he was roughly 18 months old, little did she or Isaac’s father, Oliver, know that a fuse had been lit.

The Fifth Year student at Coláiste Chiaráin has gone from pinging balls around the house to driving them across the best courses in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe. According to Isaac’s father Alan, he always believed his son could go far in golf.

“He was just a natural from the start. He was pinging balls around the house, just the air balls, from the moment he got the plastic golf club. He was nearly swinging a club before he could walk,” Alan explained.

Isaac’s rise has been steady, yet sharp, particularly in the last 12 months. He has consistently been part of Golf Ireland’s High Performance programme, while his Connacht U-16 Boys' Amateur Open triumph in 2024 was just a snapshot of what was to come.

Progressing to U-18 level and securing a second place finish at the Leinster U-18 Open Amateur Championship last year before winning the ProDreamUSA Irish Open and College Golf Showcase 2025 less than a month later was another glimpse into the talents of a player who has become one of the best in the country at his age group.

The 17-year-old’s performances have ensured that he will be studying and playing the sport he loves in Michigan State University from autumn 2027.

“He can’t wait to go. They have tremendous facilities over there. It is a different world when it comes to sport. That level of sport is unbelievable.

“We went over for a look at Halloween, and they offered him a full scholarship. We didn’t want to jump at the first offer because there were five or six other colleges interested. But with the facilities they have and the backing they have behind them, it was a no-brainer.

“Now he has two years not to worry about getting a scholarship. He can go and enjoy his golf, and push on a bit more,” his proud father noted.

Alan has seen what it takes to play the sport one loves outside of the comforts of home. The Stranolar native, who moved down to Taughmaconnell 32 and a half years ago, spent over two years playing soccer with Peterborough United before lining out for Finn Harps, Galway United and Athlone Town in the League of Ireland.

Alan spoke to the Roscommon Herald less than a week after Isaac had earned his first senior international call-up, as he helped Ireland beat hosts Spain at the Octagonal Matches.

“You could say we have had a tour of Ireland, a tour of the UK, and a little bit of Europe. He has done most of that (playing in Europe) with the Irish squad. The hardest part is trying to finance it. You need to get exposure to the big competitions, and they are hard to get to unless you have a sponsor.

“The word satisfying doesn’t do justice for us to be able to watch what he is becoming. I know a lot of people say it is about their own kids, but he is a tremendous young man. Personality wise, he is caring. He is genuinely a nice fella. When you have someone like that, you will go up to Dublin a few times a week so he can improve,” Alan noted.

Despite the challenges, Alan states that he has full faith that his son can make a living in the cut-throat world of elite level golf.

“He is going to do something in golf. He has always said if he doesn’t play professionally, he will coach, or he will do something else in the sport. Just for him to have a good career and a good education from the scholarship, this gives him the opportunity to do that.

“His degree will give him something to fall back on. But he wants to play professionally. That is the end goal,” Alan concluded.

For anybody interested in sponsoring Isaac on his golfing journey, please e-mail rosdun@live.ie.