Golf

Albert Lord doesn't like to wait - not in business or on the golf course. The colorful chairman of student loan behemoth Sallie Mae, who's embroiled in a nasty fight over the failed sale of the company, has spent 40 years in the accounting and banking industries. He said that experience should have instilled in him a measure of patience, but it hasn't. Whether in traffic, at the office or on the links, Lord said, he just doesn't like to wait. He can't do much about the first two, but he's got a sure-fire solution for the last one: He's building his own, an 18-hole golf course on land he's acquired amid shuttered tobacco farms and grazing horses in southern Anne Arundel County.

Don Markus covers Navy football and outdoors and recreation. He was the Maryland basketball beat writer for more than a decade as well as covering golf and the NBA. He has taught sports journalism at American University for the past seven years.

Next time you face a challenge in life, think about a young man named Vince Biser. Biser, 21, just won the North American One-Armed Golfer Association championship at the tough PGA National course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Oh, Biser has two arms. But he was born with cerebral palsy and has limited vision and virtually no use of the right side of his upper body. Which means he swings a golf club with only one arm - his left. I watched him hit balls the other day on the practice range at the Country Club of Maryland, where he's a member.

The freshman closed out a banner first season for Roland Park, capturing the individual title at the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland's A Conference championship on Thursday and leading the Reds to their sixth straight team title. Over two days and 18 holes at Fox Hollow Golf Course, Owen shot consecutive 38s for a 4-over-par 76 that was 12 strokes better than three runner-up finishers. She started Wednesday's play with a birdie on the opening hole and ended the championship with a birdie in windy conditions Thursday.

T he 73-year-old in the baseball-style cap could not look happier. It's 10:30 on a January morning, the winds are less than gale force, the sun is peeking through some clouds, and as he bends over on the first tee at the Eisenhower Golf Course in Crownsville, Bruno Heidik doesn't even need the little hammer he used last week to bash his golf tee into the frozen ground. The tee "slides in nicely today," says Heidik before addressing the ball, taking a long backswing and belting an impressive drive down the middle of the fairway.

It all looked so familiar Sunday -- except when it didn't. There was Tiger Woods on the 18th green at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando. Same good-luck red shirt as always on the final day. Same enthusiastic -- even adoring -- crowds cheering his every move. Same look of grim determination on his face when he needed to concentrate. But when he sank his final putt for a 2-under-par 70 to officially win the tournament by five strokes over Graeme McDowell and end 30 months of no wins on the PGA Tour, we saw a different reaction from Tiger than we'd seen in the past.

Baltimore County police found the body of a man inside a vehicle Thursday morning at Woodholme Country Club in Pikesville. Police believe the body could be that of Norman Hurwitz, 78, who was reported missing Sunday from his home in Pikesville. Detectives had not confirmed the identity, but there are similarities, Cpl. Mike Hill said. He said there was no evidence of foul play. The car was found off a cart path on the golf course, police said. - Brent Jones

Baltimore County police say the body found in a car parked on the grounds of a country club is that of Irving Hurwitz of Pikesville. Hurwitz, 78, had been reported missing by his family on Sunday. County police spokesman Cpl. Mike Hill said a passer-by found the body Thursday inside Hurwitz's 2003 Buick Century on Woodholme Country Club's golf course. Police do not suspect foul play. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. An earlier news release from police misstated Hurwitz's first name as Norman.

Harry Blauvelt had just dropped off his beloved yellow lab, Elvis, at doggy day care Monday and was returning home to Kent Island when his car became disabled on the Bay Bridge. The retired USA Today golf writer, who chronicled the rise of Tiger Woods during a long career in sports journalism, had stepped out of his 2001 Honda Accord when, police said, a 2003 International truck slammed into the vehicle and pushed it into Blauvelt. The 70-year-old Chester resident was flung from the bridge's eastbound span into the water more than 50 feet below.

The senior standout closed out a fine four-year career with her second straight individual title at the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland golf championships, leading the Reds to their fifth consecutive team crown last week at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Timonium. After taking a three-stroke lead with a 41 covering nine holes on Tuesday's first day, Golueke fired a one-over-par 37 on Wednesday for a two-day total of 78 to comfortably win by seven strokes. Golueke's long drives off the tee set up shorter shots with her irons as she had five consecutive pars at one point on the second day and finished her career with a birdie.

Get through to him Steve Gould Baltimore Sun As much as Josh Beckett's comments show a disconnect with — perhaps even outright disrespect for — his team and its fans, the Red Sox have little recourse other than to try to hammer into his head why his behavior is so rankling. And good luck with that. Don't let Beckett's horrid outing Thursday or his 5.97 season ERA fool you: He's still a good pitcher and one the Red Sox need. Four of his six outings have been quality starts, and all the outcry over beer and chicken doesn't change the fact that he posted a 2.89 ERA and 8.2 Ks/9 IP last season.

Aberdeen Proving Ground will celebrate Armed Forces Week with a variety of events including a golf tournament, veterans luncheon, and a museum open house. The celebration will be held Monday through Saturday, according to the APG Public Affairs Office, but most events will be concentrated on Wednesday when school bands will play, veterans will be honored and the APG will have an open house showing the public what goes on at the military facility. The public is invited. For more information about the events, call 410-278-4500.

The freshman broke a 20-year-old scoring record by two shots to win the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association individual golf championship May 1 at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace. His 71-73-70-214 won by five strokes. The 5-foot-9, 130-pound 15-year-old is believed to be only the second freshman to ever win the title. Navarro's coach, Pete VanZandt, said the teen has the perfect disposition for golf success, never letting his emotions get the best of him. "He never seems to feel the pressure," VanZandt said.

Specialty golf store Golfsmith, opening Friday morning in Lutherville Station in Timonium, is promising "a golfer's paradise" --  with a mission. At what will be the largest golf store in the Baltimore area at 22,000 square feet, golf enthusiasts can take a swing on an indoor putting green, try out a hitting simulator, take a video recorded golf lesson, get fitted for golf clubs, or maybe even buy a club or two. "Our goal is to help golfers...

The Golf Boys finally got some much needed street cred. It was right before last year's U.S. Openwhen a bunch of young Americans who called themselves “The Golf Boys” took quite a bit of criticism for the silly video spoof they did. At a time when their European counterparts were dominating the sport - including a blowout victory by Rory McIlroy in the Open at Congressional - “The Golf Boys” seemed to lack style and substance....

The Scarboro Hills Disc Golf Club is hosting its second annual "Let's Throw Together" Doubles Disc Golf Tournament to benefit the Arthritis Foundation and the Scarboro Hills Disc Golf Club. The event is a charity doubles disc golf tournament set for April 21. Bring your own partner in best shot style of play. Both players throw from each lie (starting with the tee shot), and then the team chooses which of the resulting lies to continue play from, until the hole is completed.

"30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin broke down the difference between the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate the other night on David Letterman's show.  His take?  The House = "Jungle" The Senate = "Poshest golf club"  Seriously, Baldwin's impression of the genteel southern gentlemen who inhabit the Senate is quite funny. Watch below:     

Baltimore County police found the body of a deceased man inside a vehicle Thursday morning at Woodholme Country Club in Pikesville. Police believe the man could be 78-year-old Norman Hurwitz, who was reported missing from his home in Pikesville on Dec. 20. Detectives have not confirmed the identity of the body, but the man "and the description have similarities," Cpl. Mike Hill said. Hill said there does not appear to be any foul play. The car was found off a cart path on the country club's golf course, according to police.

It all looked so familiar Sunday -- except when it didn't. There was Tiger Woods on the 18th green at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando. Same good-luck red shirt as always on the final day. Same enthusiastic -- even adoring -- crowds cheering his every move. Same look of grim determination on his face when he needed to concentrate. But when he sank his final putt for a 2-under-par 70 to officially win the tournament by five strokes over Graeme McDowell and end 30 months of no wins on the PGA Tour, we saw a different reaction from Tiger than we'd seen in the past.

The golf course at Fort Meade will close May 1 after more than six decades of play, officials at the Army base said Thursday. The 27-hole course, which saw 35,000 rounds of play last year, had been scheduled to close in September to accommodate building projects at the rapidly growing installation. But the date was moved up to accommodate construction deadlines, effectively canceling the final season of play. Fort Meade garrison commander Col. Edward C. Rothstein called the closure "an emotional issue.