It's a golfing itch which afflicts the financier J.P. McManus every five years. And this time it has delivered a rash of talent, the like of which has not been seen in this State for 40 years.
Tiger Woods, the world No 1, is heading a stunning line-up for the J.P. McManus International Pro-Am, which will be staged at Limerick Golf Club on July 10th and 11th. Forty professionals will play for £200,000 from an overall fund of £400,000, making it the richest two-day event on the European calendar.
The top players will include Woods, David Duval, Lee Janzen, Mark O'Meara, Mark Brooks and Andrew Magee from the US; South African Ernie Els, Australians Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby, New Zealander Michael Campbell and Europeans Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Jean van de Velde. Colin Montgomerie is also expected to be in action.
When McManus last held such an event, in June 1995, £2.94 million was raised for Limerick charities.
His first effort was at Limerick GC in 1990, and when asked why he opted for a five-year cycle, McManus replied: "I couldn't afford to do it more often." In case anyone might suspect he had become strapped for cash, he added: "It's very time-consuming."
The appearance of so many top-level international players has not happened here since the Canada Cup at Portmarnock in 1960.
In all, 40 amateur teams of three players will pay £40,000 per team for the privilege of playing with the stars. And the event is seriously oversubscribed.
All the professionals will be waiving their normal appearance fees, which in the case of Woods is a minimum of $1 million. So why are they doing it? The answer lies partially in the warm memories they took from visits to Ireland's leading venues.
However, it has a lot to do with the appeal of McManus. All of them are familiar with his rise from small bookmaker to international financier. Professionals love to be associated with success.