winner of the Lobster Pot Professional Golf Championship next week.

But he will face stiff competition from Mark Alwin, another American aiming to achieve exactly the same thing.

Both men's chances will be improved by the fact that entries are slightly down this year, due to the disastrous outbreak of illness which marred last year's event.

But the popular 23-year-old Pro-Am tournament is nevertheless set to attract around 135 golfers and guests.

Last year, sponsor and restaurateur Fritz Reiter was close to abandoning the tournament he has sponsored for 17 years, after many of the players and their guests were laid low by sickness.

The outbreak was found to have been caused by a sewage pipe leaking into the water supply of the tournament's host hotel the Marriott at Castle Harbour.

With some players deterred from returning after the unpleasant experience, it's not surprising that the number of teams to enter the Pro-Am team event is around five less than usual.

So far, 23 teams have registered, one from England, one from Germany and the rest from the United States.

With memories of last year in mind, the venue has been switched from the Castle Harbour course to Port Royal, with Elbow Beach replacing the Marriott as host hotel.

Hanefeld, of Salem Country Club, Peabody, Massachusetts, will battle it out against Alwin, of the Country Club of York, Pennsylvania, and the other 20-plus pros for the pro championship on Thursday.

Top players expected to challenge the would-be history-makers are Ben Balentine (Champion Hills Club), Ricard Parker (Lake Sunapee), Ken Peyre-Ferry (Little Mill), Buddy Sass (Ocean City), Billy Bassler (Rolling Road) and Steve Napoli (Wannamoisett).

The 54-hole Pro-Am tournament tees off on Monday, continues on Tuesday and concludes on Friday. The seventh charity Pro-Am championship will take place on Wednesday.

Rolling Road Golf Club, from Catonsville, Maryland, the winning team in last year's event, will be back to defend their title, led by professional Bassler.

The amateur trio of Ed Krug, Fritz Reiter and John Pereira, who finished second in 1998, will be looking to go one better this time when they team with Alwin under the Country Club of York banner.

Third-placed finishers Eagles Golf Club return with a new professional, Steve Mann, and last-year's fourth-placed team return as Lake Sunapee Country Club, with professional Parker.

Kirk Hanefeld: Returning to defend his Lobster Pot protitle.