Flame haired Gavin McNeill is set to prove his critics wrong ­ on the double.

McNeill is determined to blaze a trail to glory in the Irish Close championship which starts in Carlow today, despite a bad back and a year of erratic form.

The 24-year-old Waterford man beat Stephen Browne in extra time last season, joining Irish greats Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Philip Walton and Ronan Rafferty in the record books.

But critics have said that McNeill has failed to produce the goods since winning the title and he's out to prove them wrong.

Poor performances in the Lytham Trophy and Irish Amateur Open have left McNeill open to unfair criticism and he's prepared to shut up the knockers with his clubs.

"I know I can do it," he said this week, "even if have had a bad time with my back for the past month. When I won last year the first question after every event after that was 'How did Gavin get on?' and that brought its pressure."

McNeill admits that the expectation attached to being Irish champion got to him at the start of the year.

"It was tough at first with all the expectation. But once I got over that I had some positive performances, some great results and got on to the Walker Cup panel," he said.

Despite his confidence, defending the title isn't easy and the last man to do it was six-time champion Joe Carr, 38 years ago.

David Higgins and Padraig Harrington both came back from final defeats to win the following year while Ken Kearney beat Peter Lawrie in his bid for the double in 1997.

But Carr is the last man to do the double, way back in 1964 at Newcastle. He even went on to make it a hat trick of titles with a win over Tom Craddock at Rosses Point the following year.

Unlike Carr, McNeill fully intends to join the pro ranks next year, despite a back injury which kept him out of the English Open and the East of Ireland championship.

"I damaged it in the gym, doing some back strengthening exercises funnily enough," he explained. "But I had an injection and I'm great now.

"I was in pain in the Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin and I missed the cut. So I decided to pull out of the Brabazon Trophy and the East to try and get it right and I'm felling good again."

McNeill is coached by English pro Nick Bradley, formerly attached to the Leadbetter Academy at Mount Juliet.

Now based at London, the Waterford man travels over to see Bradley every six weeks.

"He's been great for me and hopefully I can reap the benefits in Carlow, which is a course that I always play well.

"I had a 79 in the first round of the Scratch Cup there but finished fourth in the end so I'm pretty confident I can qualify for the matchplay stages on Monday and take it from there."

East of Ireland champion Noel Fox is amongst the favourites to take the title for the first time.

But McNeill doesn't rule out Athlone ace Colm Moriarty, another Irish member of the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup panel.

"Colm is playing really well this year," said McNeill. "He's done well in almost all the championships we've played so far and I'd give him a great chance."

As for his own chances, McNeill is quietly confident.

"I'd hitting the ball nicely and I like Carlow, that's all I'll say. Being Irish champion is a really nice feeling and I'd just love to experience it all again.

"In Carlow you have to hit the ball in all the right places, especially before the turn and at the end of the round. You need to hit good golf shots and I think I'm ready." ends

(Pad) US Open seeker Padraig Harrington prefers to use his family instead of trendy sports psychologists.

He said: "I have a very strong willed family - my father played top class sport, my wife is an excellent motivator and two of my brothers would put sports psychologists out of business!"

All the same, Harrington still pays the occasional visit to top American golf guru Bob Rotella.

"He keeps me on the straight and narrow," admitted Harrington. "But it's just like sending a car in for a service."

(Graeme) Hot property Graeme McDowell will make his pro debut next week.

The Portrush man is deciding between Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler's ISM and management giants IMG but looks likely to opt for the Clarke-Westwood-McGinley stable run by the rotund Englishman.

After a few days holiday in Newcastle, McDowell is set to make his debut in the £600,000 Great North Open at Slaley Hall in Northumberland on Thursday.

(Seve) Work on the new Seve Ballesteros designed course in Portlaoise is at a standstill ­ because of the weather.

Months of rain have prevented designers Jeff Howes from continuing with fine shaping of the holes at The Heritage, touted as a future Irish Open venue.

(Malaysia) Golf fans can support Ireland's first ever World Cup bid in far off Malaysia in October.

Ireland will compete as a nation on its own for the first time at the Saujana Golf and Country Country Club in Kuala Lumpur.

To give the lads support, an official supporters' trip is being organised, leaving Ireland on 19 October and returning on 2 November.

Check the Golfing Union website at www.gui.ie for details.

(Blind) Their motto is "You don't have to see it to tee it."

And that's just what the best blind golfers and their guides will do in the British Blind Open at Hilton Templepatrick from July 22-24.

Blind golf is played strictly to the Royal and Ancient rules with one exception ­ players are allowed to ground their club in a hazard.

They also have the assistance of a sighted "guide" or "caddie", who gives information on distance, direction and characteristics of each hole.

(Jack) Jack Nicklaus was spotted on a flying visit to Kildare recently.

The Bear was over to check on progress at the Christy O'Connor Jnr course at the Palmerstown Stud in Johnstown.

Although O'Connor Jnr has designed the course, the Golden Bear's design company has drawn up the plans.

The course will be ready for play early next year and forms part of a massive housing and business development that is not due for completion until 2010.

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© Brian Keogh 2002

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