Holes

SILVER SPRING -- Andrea Kraus completed a rare sweep of the medal and the title at Argyle Country Club yesterday.Kraus, from Pikesville and Woodholme Country Club, won three successive holes early in the back nine and held on for a 2 and 1 victory over Jessica Lewis in the championship match of the 78th Maryland State Women's Amateur championship.She had set a tournament qualifying record of 4-under-par 69 in earning the medalist honor Tuesday. Yesterday, in subduing Lewis, a Bethesda resident who plays for Columbia Country Club, Kraus hit every fairway and every green but one on the back nine.

ROCKVILLE -- Clark Topping had to scramble late and Brad Hastings kept it together in the closing holes to register semifinal victories in the 78th Maryland State Amateur championship at Woodmont Country Club yesterday.Topping thwarted 1994 champion Chuck Freedman, 1 up, in a pairing of Hobbit's Glen GC members, and Hastings (Hog Neck GC) stopped medalist Kenny Doerrer (CC at Woodmore), 2 and 1.Topping, 21, a recent Seton Hall University graduate who plans on turning professional after today's final, admitted, "I scrambled, made a birdie here and there, and capitalized on his mistakes."

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- He was back where he always ends up at twilight on Sunday, in the interview room after another near-miss, answering questions about what went wrong and how it feels not to win.This time, Greg Norman had finished third at the Masters, three strokes behind the winner, Jose Maria Olazabal, after briefly holding the lead with five holes to go. It was Norman's fifth top-five finish at Augusta National, a fine record few golfers can match....

At The Mall in Columbia, where security ranges from guards to alarms to motion detectors, someone found a new way to break into two stores this weekend -- by punching out the back walls.Police believe the same individual or group broke into Structure and Foot Locker Saturday night or Sunday morning by cutting holes in their back walls.Usually, "they force a back door," said Sgt. Morris Carroll, the Howard County police spokesman. "These are the first of this kind."Officials believe $753 was taken from a register at Structure, a men's clothing store.

POTOMAC -- When leader Rich Beem birdied two of the first three holes yesterday, the 32nd Kemper Open turned into a fox-and-hounds chase. At the finish, the pursuers simply had not been able to apply any real pressure.Beem confirmed this, though a little nervously, when he said, "I'm just thankful I had a two-stroke lead coming into the last hole."Chief among the challengers were Bradley Hughes and two-time Kemper champion Bill Glasson, who finished one shot back after Beem bogeyed his last hole.

ROCKVILLE -- Ben Brundred III, of Congressional Country Club, made the steadiest round among the leaders stand up for a two-shot victory in the 13th Mid-Amateur Championship at Norbeck Country Club. The Potomac resident finished with par-72 for a 36-hole total of 140.Jim Winner, from Maryland Golf, and Tim Dilli, from Baltimore Country Club, who had started the day tied for second two strokes back of Brundred, each closed with 72 for 142. Larry Storck, of Hayfields Country Club, the defending champion, reeled off a second successive 71 for a share of the runner-up position.

Nancy Abiecunas, considered one of the top players in the field, breezed through two matches, and Naree Wongluekiet, one of the youngest, was forced to default from the U.S. Girls' Junior championship yesterday due to the recurrence of a chronic foot injury.In this morning's semifinals (8: 30) at the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club, Lorena Ochoa of Guadalajara, Mexico, will meet Abiecunas of Fort Collins, Colo., and unheralded Lindsay Morgan of Walla Walla, Wash., will play Aree Wongluekiet, Naree's twin sister, of Bradenton, Fla.The 51st championship match, over a scheduled 18 holes, is set for 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Annie Thurman of Highland, Utah, is what the U.S. Girls' Junior is all about.The high school junior carries no national ranking, has played in only a couple of American Junior Golf Association events with little success, and is a good student who plays basketball in the winter.Despite their heavy national tournament backgrounds, Thurman knocked out a pair of favored opponents yesterday to reach the third round of the 51st annual championship at the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club.Into the morning discard at Thurman's hands went Candus Herrera via a par at the first extra hole after she drew even with a birdie at the 18th.

Beaver Creek Country Club earned 7 1/2 points at home in putting up a 12 1/2-5 1/2 victory over Hillendale CC to win the 69th team championship of the Maryland State Golf Association yesterday.It was the first trip to the final for the Hagerstown club, while Hillendale was in the last round for the second time. Previously, it had lost to Argyle CC in 1964.The pairing of Chris Cantone-Tim Armstrong continued its domination with a 3-0 victory over John Bausman-Len Callahan to highlight the winners' home effort.

One of the most difficult things about watching Nancy Abiecunas and Aree Wongluekiet play golf was realizing they were 16 and 13, respectively.The two put on a near-flawless performance before Wongluekiet emerged with a 2-up victory in the final of the 51st U.S. Girls' Junior championship at the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club yesterday.With the triumph, Wongluekiet, from Bradenton, Fla., became the youngest champion in U.S. Golf Association history at 13 years, three months, seven days. Previously, Kay Cornelius (1981)

After a paradoxical 2009, the Orioles enter this offseason in a curious position. They equaled their worst win-loss record in 20 years and trailed only the infamous 1988 season and the inaugural 1954 campaign as most futile in the club's modern history. Yet, there is a sense that the future has promise because of the emergence of young starting pitchers Brian Matusz (right), Chris Tillman and Brad Bergesen, catcher Matt Wieters and outfielders Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie. It can be argued that the Orioles have fewer holes to fill for 2010 than they have had entering an offseason in recent memory.

Senior Players Championship Irwin, Kite, Morgan, Thorpe commit to Constellation The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship gained commitments Tuesday from four of the over-50 circuit's biggest stars. Champions Tour career wins leader Hale Irwin, former U.S. Open champion Tom Kite, 25-time Champions Tour winner Gil Morgan and former Morgan State running back Jim Thorpe will compete in this year's event, tournament officials announced. The Constellation will be played Sept. 28-Oct.

Pro basketball Oberto gives Wizards depth in frontcourt The Washington Wizards say they have signed forward-center Fabricio Oberto, giving the team added frontcourt depth. Oberto, 6 feet 10, 245 pounds, averaged 3.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs traded Oberto to Detroit this summer as part of a five-player deal; the Pistons then waived Oberto. Oberto helped the Spurs win the 2007 NBA title and Argentina win a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Mickey Mouse was listening to Eminem on her iPod as she warmed up on the practice putting green Sunday morning. Candie Kung walked by and made note of the familiar scene. "Did you sleep here last night?" Kung asked. Eun Hee Ji (known to fellow South Korean players as Mickey Mouse) said, no, she didn't spend that much time on the green, but seemed to always run into Kung for some reason. Kung was at the practice green again later, waiting as Ji made the definitive putt of the women's golf season.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - -The secret to a successful golf swing, Ben Hogan believed, is in the dirt. The secret to success in the first round of the U.S. Open this year? Avoiding the dirt. Or, more accurately, the mud. "Look," Mike Weir said, "I'm wearing white shoes. They're hardly dirty at all." It helped that Weir spent the round walking on clouds, firing a 6-under-par 64. Also key was that Weir teed off Friday in the afternoon wave. By then, Mother Nature (finally) had taken mercy on Bethpage Black after soaking her so thoroughly, Boo Weekley joked that the frogs sought shelter.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- For a few hours Thursday, the weather forecast went from bleak to awful, the greens went from soggy to unplayable and Bethpage Black went from long to lawwwwwwwwwng. "It's a U.S. Open," 2006 champ Geoff Ogilvy said. "It's meant to be a long test. And it's going to be." In more ways than one. After suspending play at 10:15 a.m. Thursday and calling off the round at 1:55 p.m., USGA officials already are bracing for a Monday finish. Or Tuesday. USGA championship committee chair Jim Hyler said today's forecast is decent but Saturday looks "more problematic ... sort of like [Thursday]

In general, it's pretty hard to figure out what's going on inside Anna Nordqvist's head. The 6-foot-tall, 22-year-old from Eskilstuna, Sweden, has what can fairly be called a stoic, Nordic personality. It's rare to see outward displays of emotion from her on the golf course, whether it's joy or frustration. Like a mannequin's in a department store window, her expression often seems frozen in thought, or fixed on the horizon. But in the closing holes of the McDonald's LPGA Championship on Sunday at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace, little bits of life began to bubble to the surface.

I like fishing holes. I like holes-in-one. I like holes in doughnuts. I do not like holes in novels. Although it's only May, this year I've already read two books that had gaping, unforgivable holes in their plots. Both would be apparent to anyone who reads even an occasional Agatha Christie mystery or watches the slightest amount of CSI. Both certainly should have been apparent to editors. The holes left me with a sour taste for otherwise enjoyable books: Beyond Suspicion by Tanguy Viel and City of Thieves by David Benioff.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -They will meet at the first tee Sunday morning, shake hands and perhaps pretend to wish each other good luck. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, together at last, side by side as they stroll down the fairways for the final round at Augusta National. One problem: They are not in the final group. Or the second-to-last. Or the ... They will go off a full 60 minutes before co-leaders Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry. That should tell you just how unlikely it is that either will need to supply his jacket size to Masters officials.

1. Atlantic Golf at Potomac Ridge 15800 Sharpville Road, Waldorf 20601 Phone: 800-791-9078 Holes: 27 (three 9-hole courses): The Meadows, par 35; The Hollow, par 36; The Ridge, par 37. Cost per round: Until April: Monday-Thursday $45/$40 (twilight, after 2 p.m.); weekends $52/$43. In season, Monday-Thursday $49/$45; weekends $57/$48. Rates subject to change. Check www.mdgolf.com/potomac 2. Atlantic Golf at Queenstown Harbor 310 Links Lane, Queenstown 21658 Phone: 800-827-5257 and 410-827-6611 Holes: 36; par 71 on Lakes course, par 72 on River course Cost per round: River course: Monday-Thursday: $89 before 2 p.m.; $79 after 2 p.m. Weekends: open-11 a.m. $119; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $89; 2 p.m.-close $75; 36 holes $165 before 2 p.m./$135 after.