Ahead to a century

On Thursday afternoon, barring injury, one player at the Brier will reach 100 career games as the penultimate draw of the round robin wraps up. This will surpass the likes of Rick Lang and Don Walchuk and equalling Randy Ferbey.
This is not a former champion like Jeff Stoughton, Mark Dacey or Bruce Lohnes, who will all be more than 10 games short of the century mark at the end of the Brier.
No, it’s little heralded P.E.I. lead Mark O’Rourke, who, besides Ferbey, will also equal fellow Islander Peter Gallant.
Sure, O’Rourke has never won a Brier, and may never will (although Brett Gallant gives P.E.I. a bright future), but his dedication and consistency shown in making now 11 Briers is very impressive.
O’Rourke has been a main member on now nine occasions. He was also a fifth twice. In 1996, he did not play and in 2006 he played in one game.
While some people who’ve played in that many show some versatility in playing a variety of possessions, prior to today, O’Rourke had played one game as a third in 1997, and 88 as a second.
Today was his very first game as a lead. Now he just needs to throw fourth stones and he’s gone around the horn.
O’Rourke plays for P.E.I., which other than Territories, has been the most unsuccessful province since the advent of the playoffs in 1980.
In 29 Briers since 1980, P.E.I. has made tie breakers three times (1985, 1995 and 1996). In 1996, the team made the 3 vs 4 game.
Of those three playoff teams, O’Rourke’s been on two of them.
In 1995, he was part of the P.E.I. team skipped by Robert Campbell that lost a tie-breaker 7-4 to Ontario’s Ed Werenich. In that game, O’Rourke actually outcurled two-time world champion Ontario second Pat Perroud, 85 per cent to 84 per cent.
In 1996, O’Rourke played fifth for the Peter MacDonald who defeated Newfoundland’s Mark O’Driscoll in a tie-breaker before losing to Quebec’s Don Westphal in the 3 vs. 4 game.