JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- It's not often one meets their heroes. For a young Sean Reddy, he was among the lucky few. When the young Reddy met Rory McIlroy, aged just eight years old, it was a spark to a burgeoning obsession for the game of golf.

Now Reddy, a teenage talent taking the next step in his golf game as a Jacksonville Dolphin, where he will play his golf not half an hour from the site where McIlroy raised two Player's Championships.

McIlroy was an early inspiration for a young Reddy, as he and his dad followed the now six-time Major Champion at the Irish Open in 2014. Around a year later, as Reddy was diving head first into the game of golf, he got a chance to meet McIlroy in London.

From then on, Reddy had the golfing bug.
 

"Him being Irish kind of just motivated me to play golf, and then all of a sudden I just got hooked," Reddy said.

Not long after getting into the sport, Reddy won the net championship at the Under-10 World Kid's Golf in Silves, Portugal. That kickstarted a junior golf career that would take Reddy around the British Isles and the world.

Reddy has participated in dozens of tournaments in Britain and Ireland, including last summer's Boy's Amateur at County Louth Golf Club --- the biggest junior tournament east of the Atlantic. Outside of the Isles, in just the last two years he's competed in Spain, Portugal and France.

He even went to Dubai last February to compete in the Junior Dubai Desert Classic, where he posted an 11th place finish.

"It's a good way to travel," Reddy joked about his golf career.
 

As his golf game developed into his teen years, the chance to play college golf started to become a reality. When reaching out to schools in the United States, he connected with JU head coach Mike Blackburn.

After building a relationship with Blackburn over the phone, Reddy made the decision to visit Northeast Florida. Once he met the people and experienced the Sunshine state for himself, the decision was set.

"You're not going to get better weather, and it's a five minute walk to where I can hit golf balls on campus," Reddy said. "You're not really going to get much better than that."

As Reddy adjusts to the massive change of Cork, Ireland to Jacksonville, he's been aided by the support of his Dolphin teammates.

"All the guys are nice and friendly and kind of been very helpful with information, and basically they couldn't have been any better to me," Reddy said.

Not only is life different stateside, golf is different as well. The weather, the grass and even the culture of how the game is played is a change of pace.

Growing up at Fota Island Golf Club and later Douglas Golf Club, Reddy learned to play in the wind and rain of the British Isles. His style of play reflects the conditions of the Irish links, shaping the ball as an artist shapes a marble into sculpture.

"I think it's definitely an advantage if you can hit it low, hit it left-to-right, right-to-left, all different ways," Reddy said. 

Unlike most sports, golf is a singular pursuit. Coaches and teammates are an important guiding hand, but the lone golfer is the one who has to execute the shots and shoot their best score. That individual decision making allows Reddy's creative shot-making to shine.

"I like the fact that you have to be creative," Reddy said. "You're on your own, so it's all your decisions."