Fortunately the void left by the departure of Dennis “Wilford Brimley” McClane was more manageable. Sam “Stovepipe” Pressley is a welcome addition to the Stove team. Stovepipe is a rare talent, and comes in favored to win the Templeton Cup. His dad and playing partner Danny “Depot Stove” Pressley is well poised to challenge for the Turtle with a low opening quota and number-one-ranked PPM.

Bucking the exodus trend are Toby “Hoss Cartwright” Hyke and Greg “Stone Cold” Goddard. They elected to forego a badminton team event in Knoxville to join this year’s Turtle Hunt. Despite not having played since the previous November, Hyke turned in a respectable performance in 2015. He hopes to parlay that fourth-place finish into a Turtle victory in this year’s event. 2015 saw the Templeton Cup wrested from Goddard’s grasp. He will be hard pressed to challenge Stovepipe for the Cup this year, but he’s, well, Stone Cold, so he’s always in contention.

Tracy “Tiger” Thompson comes in with high hopes after claiming the Templeton Cup in 2015. He edged Stone Cold by one point to break the Goddard/Pressley stranglehold on the Cup. He may have a shot at a repeat if Stovepipe falters, and would like to build on his third place finish in last year’s Turtle Hunt. His partner, Jon “Hairball” Lawler, has played well of late with good recent RVF numbers. He hopes to translate those into contending for the Turtle.

Turnabout was fair play last year for Mike “Grizzly Adams” King. After being awarded the Turtle by Kimmet in 2014, King awarded it back to Q-Ball in 2015. King hopes to rebound in 2016 after a pedestrian performance last year. Following years of middling finishes, King’s partner, Richard “The Envy” Matlock, still hopes to recapture the spark that last brought him the Turtle in 2007.

Michael “The Hoser” Moser almost claimed the Turtle in 2014, his last appearance in the Invitational. His closing round of -1, however, left him in second place, three back of eventual champion King. He hopes to string together four solid rounds to challenge for the Turtle this year. After flirting with becoming the nonplaying tournament director due to injury in 2014, Moser’s partner, Greg “Loguemeister” Logue bounced back in 2015. Logue won outright on Moving Day and finished fifth overall to claim Comeback Player of the Year. He hopes to build on that performance in 2016.

It’s not Turtle soup we’re talking about here. No one knows that better than Michael “The Calcutta Chairman” Wood, whose desire for the reptile is second to none. The fire may still be rekindled for The Chairman, who last tasted Turtle in 2006. He will go to any length to capture the beast. Abe “The Ghost” Wood will again hunt the Turtle with his dad, reprising their 2015 team. Young Abe acquitted himself well in 2015, overcoming an opening round minus 6 to play even the rest of the week. With a year of experience under his belt, look for big things from The Ghost in 2016.

With the arrival of Stovepipe, Norm “The Total Package” Templeton has suggested handicapping the Templeton Cup. The Competition Committee nixed that notion, so prodigious effort will be required from The Package to claim his first Cup. Norm may have to settle by competing for the Turtle instead. The Package came close in 2014, tying Moser for second, so a Turtle victory is not out of the question for him. His partner, Dan “The Man” Moore rode a Mendoza Line initial quota to a second place finish in 2015. The resulting point increase may prove insurmountable in 2016.

Click on a player below to view his career record through 2015.