JOHNNY THE MICK

Johnny is a longtime Dublin correspondent and punter who takes no offense to his monicker.

He earned it more than two decades ago and is loathe to change it because of American sensibilities. And, besides, last time we checked it was still OK to insult the Irish without going into rehab.

Johnny has been prognisticating the Keating Championship since its inception, with somewhat mixed results. Come to think of it, he’s rarely right, due partly to the low-grade bottle of Powers he’s rarely seen without and that the vagaries of Irish golf are too wide to know which Yank will be at his best.

So that makes him like an American political pundit – always sure of himself and usually full of it.

But the Keating Championship has adopted Johnny as one of its own and there are no plans to change punting houses at this time.