Hoey among favourites for East

Michael Hoey of Shandon Park is amongst the favourites for the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship which begins at Baltray today. Most recently, the former Boys international overcame a quality field to win the Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin, in a career studded with honours.

Hoey (19), secured the Tom Montgomery award in winning the 1997 Boys order of merit last year, by virtue of victories in the Irish and Connacht championships.

He will be joined at Co Louth by several of his underage national team-mates from last season, including David Jones (City of Derry), Stackstown duo Mark Campbell and Michael McDermott, Robin Symes (Shandon Park) and Lee Dalton (Waterford), David Carroll (Grange), Colm Moriarty (Athlone), Gary Wardlow (Shandon Park) and Galway's Mark O'Sullivan, members of the team that won the Home International Championship.

The portents for one of the younger generation to claim victory appear strong given the presence of the 1997 Irish and Connacht Youths winner, Ballinasloe's Nigel Howley, and John Foster (Ballyclare) who annexed the Munster and Ulster championships. Rory Leonard, Ciaran McMonagle, Peter Martin and Tim Rice, of a similar age, could also prosper.

The absence of Jody Fanagan, Bryan Omelia, former champion Noel Fox, Ken Kearney and Dermot Connolly due to a commitment to the British Amateur Championship at Muirfield will be rued by spectators if not by fellow competitors. The decision by Irish internationals Andrew McCormick and David Dunne not to travel to Scotland was a fillip for the Baltray event.

Last year's champion, Sean Quinlivan, now plies his trade as a professional, but the runner-up and twice a former winner, Garth McGimpsey, covets a hat-trick of successes in this tournament, a feeling shared by Portmarnock's Adrian Morrow (1975, 1983).

Former professional and current international Pat Gribben, North of Ireland champion Michael Sinclair, Kilkenny's Eddie Power, Gary Cullen, Karl Bornemann, Michael McGinley and Stuart Paul should also be prominent.

There is a pronounced trend among recent winners of the East of Ireland to relinquish the amateur ranks in favour of a full-time career in golf. Darren Clarke (1989), Denis O'Sullivan ('90, now on the Seniors tour), Raymond Burns ('92, '93) and Quinlivan ('97) endorse this view. The large field of 156 competitors will be whittled down over the weekend, with the qualifiers playing 36 holes on Monday.