Well, he ran it close last year in defence of the title, only to loose out by 3 shots.Devistated by the loss, he will no doubt return, fully fit and rearing to go. A good start here required by the Tyrone man, as he always seems to find it hard going under the pressure of the second day. As with several other members of the crew, he tends to suffer badly from "intoxicating substance abuse", but with a late tee-off on Saturday means he has no excuse now.Has to deal with sibling rivalry this year but he still should be in the hunt.
Odds 4:1
Honors: Winner '99
The favourite every year and it is hardly suprising why.A steady golfer and a good head.....or has he????Expected to wipe the competition every year(after his annihilation of the field in the first year) but has fallen at the final hurdle every year since, even though he always makes the final group. The question is Does Mick have the bottle?A shocking collapse in the final roound last year(lost by one shot),but somehow I don't think we'll ever see that again.He'll be back with a vengence but may not make the second day due to being arrested by guards, for obscene behaviour in a fast moving Mazda, in Athlone city centre!!!
Odds Even Money JF
Honors: Winner '97
Connor, well what can we say. Changed clubs, changed putter and one of the biggest threats this year(if he ever manages to complete the competition!!!).Definitely has worked on his game solidly, and is now rumoured to be playing very competitively to his handicap.Simply put,if Connor gets the putter going, there is none to beat him.However there is a hint of the"cracking under pressure"element in his game(which allegedly results in damaged fairways, tee boxes and greens!!!).Nobody will marry him this year so he has no weddings to go to.....therefore a favourite he shall be!!!!
Odds: Even Money
Even money he sinks his putter into the fifth green after a missed 2 foot par!!!!
Honors: Winner '98
The question is "Can he defend the title". This is the pressure that has
proved too immense for the previous
winners to overcome, however Murph with his steady game, may be the first to
break the mould. Now that
the venue is changed to Athlone, he has a much longer journey to do, on his
piebald/sulky combination, and
just to top it off, he will probably be suffering from Foot & Mouth disease
from traipsing across Beegans farm
to rob the sulky. With such troubles on the horizon and a large field of
competitors this year, it's going to
be an uphill struggle.
Odds: 3:2
Honors: Winner '00
What can you say!!! Now more commonly known as "The Nearly Man", surely there's
a year in it for the Brudder. Unfortunately the bane of Andy's life is
"Sleep" which he tends to do on the first
night, and obviously carries it into his second days golf. Everybody knows
that the game is there, but has he
improved the consistency? Only time will tell, but if it all comes
together the question you have to ask here is :
"Can anyone stop the BOOM BOOM???? "
Odds: 3:1
Honors: Runner Up '98
Well with a swing like this, one has to ask, "Why the hell does McEvoy make
an arse of it, every year?"
Surely our most gifted and natural player, but that old concentration
failing, has let him down every
year (or was it the drink!!!). Everybody is waiting for the McEvoy golf
explosion, but whether that happens this
year or not, remains to be seen..........I eagerly await????????
Odds: 4:1
Honors: 3rd '98
Definitely the man to watch this year. If it was the Grand National, my
money would definitely be on Rob. Has
shown constant improvement during the past years and was the steadiest
golfer last year (only losing by 5 shots).
Ginseng, St. John's Wort, Redbull, whiskey & 6 pints of Guinness (all for
breakfast???), should put Robbo
in the right frame of mind (if that's possible). N'anyway, considering he's
improving every year, this man is
definitely the "Wild Card".
Odds: 4:1
Honours: 4th '00
Turlough, a man plagued by inconsistency, but gifted with ability. Has not
shone through, yet!!!!! but this could
be due to the "intoxicating substance abuse", as mentioned above. Will be
rarin' to climb to the heights of
compadre (and allegedly lover?) Mr. Collins, and therefore fits nicely into
the "Good Outsider" category.
If he can avoid being plagued by memories of "Swedish Porn Stars", we should
expect a good start for the Jackeen,
and who knows after that????
Odds: 7:1
Honours: Top 10 finish '00
The unknown quantity. Arrived on the scene 2 years ago with a solid
reputation, but didn't fire on all cylinders
Some say it was because of the Limerick/Clare thing, but now that the venue
has changed, it's hard to tell.
Since PJ robbed his sulky, it's hard to know how Ray will make the
tournament, but that's the beauty of Limerick!
Nobody knows the true ability of "The Razor" but I'm sure he's practicing
hard......BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Odds: 7:1
Honours: Top 10 finish '99
His Virgin year last year, and returning for crack yet again. Maintained
that it was only fun last year, but
may be shooting for higher honours this year (planning to sell at least 4
cabinets and matching bedside lockers).
Rumour has it, that Andy is on 10% commission from Jim, so with the Dundalk
men in cahoots with each other, we
could be in for a shock. No information is being made available on how much
practice Jim has put in, so this is
a definite "lets wait and see"
Odds:8:1
Top 10 finish '00
The newcomer to the group and a good golfer at that. Short game has been
known to let him down on
occasion, but his concentration level may be heightened this year,
considering the Prestigious Competition
that he is entering. The main problem facing Barry may be the sibling
rivalry that will occur between
himself and brother Phil. This has caused both their downfall in the past,
but there's always time for a change.
Watch this space???
Odds :4:1
