Jack Nicklaus

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Leave it to Jack Nicklaus to give the crowd watching behind the 18th hole at the Pebble Beach Golf Links yesterday one last memory from more than four decades in the U.S. Open. Leave it Nicklaus to find a way to say the proper goodbye to a golf course and a tournament that defined his legendary career. It didn't matter that Nicklaus shot an 11-over-par 82, his highest score in 160 Open rounds. It only mattered that Nicklaus had one last great shot left in his 60-year-old body.

A couple of times a year, I tire of the monotonous, flat coastal plain that we eastern Marylanders call home. Or perhaps I need a break from the harried pace that we collectively create and endure. Whatever the reason, each spring and fall, as the leafy harbingers of spring paint a subdued canvas of green, or die in an explosion of reds and yellows, I find myself drawn to the rock-solid mountainous beauty of Western Maryland. I pack some clothes, get in the car and weave through the frenetic Beltway traffic, and head west on Interstate 70. Somewhere east of Frederick, I trade the angst -- and fun -- of Marc Steiner's radio talk show for the twang of country music (sorry, Marc)

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Throughout his 40-year career in the Masters, Jack Nicklaus has been known for two things: keeping his emotions intact and his competition in the distance.When Nicklaus was given a day in his honor and a plaque in his name at Augusta National yesterday, he did something few, if any, had any seen him do before in public.He cried.During a touching ceremony to mark the achievements of the tournament's six-time champion, Nicklaus broke down a couple of times in talking about his family.

BETHESDA -- When he won the U.S. Open at Oakmont three years ago, Ernie Els seemed put off by the stir his victory caused. Being 24, there were the inevitable comparisons to a young Jack Nicklaus. Being South African, there was heightened talk about being his country's next Gary Player."He just wanted to be the first Ernie Els," said Liezl Wehmeyer, who had been dating Els for more than a year at the time and now shares homes with him in South Africa and Florida. "He didn't like the spotlight.

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- An eerie sort of golf symmetry descended on the Lancashire coast yesterday and covered the British Open. Senior golfers acted their age, obscure major pretenders drifted out to the Irish Sea and the major players positioned themselves for either a Masters reprise or a Grand Slam blowout.Tom Lehman, who held the third-round lead in the 1994 Masters, shared it in the 1995 U.S. Open and held it just a month ago in the U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, is back there again.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- Here we are in Hollywood, our nation's capital of hair transplants, wrinkle removal, tummy tucks and other uplifting experiences for the body.But they can't grow grass. Like a lot of the natives, putting surfaces at Riviera Country Club, where they are holding this 77th PGA championship, are more style than substance. Greg Norman calls them "minefields." A few roots, mostly sand, easily spiked.Jack Nicklaus says he had a two-footer during yesterday's first round and thought about chipping the ball over trouble instead of putting through it.Why, even Chip Beck allowed that the greens for this tournament are scraggly.

BETHESDA -- For a couple of hours yesterday, it was vintage Jack Nicklaus.A hole-in-one and five birdies in the last 13 holes jumped him from back in the pack to second place in the U.S. Senior Open at Congressional Country Club. This was after bogeys at the first two holes had seemed to relegate him to a down-the-line finish.That is not, however, how Jack Nicklaus goes about his business -- and has gone about it for his entire golfing career."After that start, I said I'm not going to get anywhere near what I want to do unless I start doing something right."

TULSA, Okla. -- David Leadbetter was an obscure golf teacher who had set up shop just outside Orlando, Fla. Nick Price was an obscure European tour pro who was looking for help with his game. They had known each other from their days as junior players in Rhodesia."He wanted to play on the American tour," Leadbetter recalled Sunday night. "There were a lot of pieces missing, but the one thing Nick could always do was strike the ball."That was the fall of 1981. The following summer, Price nearly lost his obscurity forever when he almost won the British Open at Troon.

PINEHURST, N.C. -- When the 15th U.S. Senior Open begins this morning over the world-renowned No. 2 Course of Pinehurst Country Club, no one in the 156-player field will have local knowledge to compare with Jay Sigel.Sigel may be a rookie on the PGA Senior Tour, but he is a veteran of No. 2, having played it more than 100 times. Couple this with a record 66 appearances in U.S. Golf Association events and a slew of national and international titles, and it adds up to a position as one of the tournament favorites.

The stature of the Maryland Amateur Stroke Play championship continues to grow, as it will present its strongest field when the 26th annual program is held this weekend at Mount Pleasant Golf Course.Seven past champions are among the 192 entrants, including five of the past six -- Bob Kaestner, Greg Henry, Bill Stout, Justin Klein and defender Buddy Peoples. The other two are Bill Dornbusch (1970) and Bob Morrison (1985). Such is the popularity of the tournament that the limit on entries was reached 10 days ahead of the closing deadline.