Justin Leonard

POTOMAC -- When he staggered off the final green and slumped in a chair in the scorer's tent, dazed and distraught after blowing last year's Kemper Open, most figured that things could not get any worse for Mark Wiebe.Seemingly betrayed by a case of the yips, Wiebe had missed short putts for par on each of the last two holes to finish at 2-over 73 and lose by a shot to Justin Leonard."The big joke is that I kind of jump-started Justin Leonard's career," Wiebe, 41, said recently. "Had I not folded my tents, he might not have won the British Open and the Players Championship."

NATIONAL Charley batters Gulf Coast A stronger-than-expected Hurricane Charley roared ashore in Florida yesterday as a dangerous Category 4 storm, slamming the heavily populated Gulf Coast with devastating storm surges and 145 mph winds that snapped trees in half, ripped roofs off buildings and blacked out hundreds of thousands of people. [Page 1a] Review upholds suspects' status A military review of the cases against four terror suspects held at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has concluded they are classified properly as enemy combatants and will not be freed, the official overseeing the process said yesterday.

TROON, Scotland -- He had been overshadowed by Phil Mickelson while in college and overrun by the emergence of Tiger Woods as a pro. Justin Leonard's profile was much like his game.Respected but not quite feared.Solid but not quite a superstar.It all changed Sunday afternoon when the 25-year-old Texan won the 126th British Open at Royal Troon.Not that Leonard ever saw it that way."I did play against Phil for two years. However, I didn't play against Tiger," Leonard said shortly after his final round of 6-under-par 65 and four-round score of 12-under 272 had given him a three-shot victory.

GULLANE, Scotland - They teed off more than four hours before the final twosome, and when they finished, the rainstorm that swept through Muirfield yesterday was just starting to blow. Justin Rose and Justin Leonard came in just in time. "There are so many players between myself and what's leading, I'll have to wait and see what's leading at the end of the day, but conditions will have to get pretty bad," Leonard said. "I don't think we've seen the teeth of the course yet this week, but hopefully the fellows will this afternoon now that I'm in."

POTOMAC -- He stood on the practice tee Tuesday afternoon at the Tournament Players Club at Avenel, hitting balls and seeking answers that seemed to come so easily during a nine-month stretch that ended early last year. Justin Leonard won three times and became one of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour.Leonard is as perplexed as anyone in trying to figure out what has happened since.His bank statements don't reflect as big a difference as the look on his face. The confidence Leonard exuded after winning his first major championship two years ago at the British Open is not as apparent.

POTOMAC -- The hissing noise wasn't audible coming out of Ben Brundred's office Monday afternoon at the TPC at Avenel, but the general chairman of the Kemper Open has spent the past two days trying to put some life back into the $2 million tournament that begins today without Tiger Woods.Because of a back injury, Woods was forced to withdraw, leaving a long star-crossed event without its main attraction. Asked yesterday what it was like to take that fateful telephone call from Woods, Brundred said: "It was total deflation.

He is back on the Georgia Tech campus, back in the dorms with his buddies and, for the moment, out of the spotlight that followed him to places such as Augusta National, the Olympic Club and Royal Birkdale during a whirlwind spring and summer.One more thing: Matt Kuchar couldn't be happier."He's been able to get a little bit of sanity back," said Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler.Kuchar seems to have no second thoughts on passing up a chance to turn pro, on not cashing in on a three-month stretch that saw him go from being a relatively unknown U.S. Amateur champion to having one of the most recognizable faces in golf.

The Tournament Players Club at Avenel will be a little quieter than some there anticipated for next week's Kemper Insurance Open. Tiger Woods isn't coming. After much speculation the past few weeks that the world's No. 1 player would make his first appearance in the Washington area since the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Woods announced yesterday that he would skip Kemper to prepare for next month's U.S. Open on Long Island. Woods broke the news after finishing the second round of the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.

DULUTH, Ga. -- It took 10 months, but Tiger Woods' trademark smile returned yesterday. It was not, however, the youthful, exuberant smile we had remembered. The expression behind this smile was one of relief.By winning the BellSouth Classic at the TPC at Sugarloaf, Woods ended a drought of 16 PGA Tour starts without a victory. He had not won a tour event since last July's Motorola Western Open.For most players, that would constitute a lull. But a player of Woods' caliber doesn't get off that easy.

After hearing a week of testimony, a Carroll County jury is expected to begin deliberating this morning whether Timothy Cumberland was responsible for the death of a 22-year-old Westminster man in 1993.The killing of Gregory Lamont Howard, who was shot near midnight Jan. 28, 1993, on Center Street in Westminster, was Carroll County's first drug-related slaying. Police have described Mr. Howard as a young man trying to restore peace after a drug deal went bad.He was shot at close range with a shotgun when he approached the car Mr. Cumberland and three friends were riding in. Mr. Howard had nothing to do with the drug deal, in which Mr. Cumberland paid $40 for a bag of soap flakes instead of crack cocaine, police have said.

The Tournament Players Club at Avenel will be a little quieter than some there anticipated for next week's Kemper Insurance Open. Tiger Woods isn't coming. After much speculation the past few weeks that the world's No. 1 player would make his first appearance in the Washington area since the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Woods announced yesterday that he would skip Kemper to prepare for next month's U.S. Open on Long Island. Woods broke the news after finishing the second round of the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.

POTOMAC -- He stood on the practice tee Tuesday afternoon at the Tournament Players Club at Avenel, hitting balls and seeking answers that seemed to come so easily during a nine-month stretch that ended early last year. Justin Leonard won three times and became one of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour.Leonard is as perplexed as anyone in trying to figure out what has happened since.His bank statements don't reflect as big a difference as the look on his face. The confidence Leonard exuded after winning his first major championship two years ago at the British Open is not as apparent.

He is back on the Georgia Tech campus, back in the dorms with his buddies and, for the moment, out of the spotlight that followed him to places such as Augusta National, the Olympic Club and Royal Birkdale during a whirlwind spring and summer.One more thing: Matt Kuchar couldn't be happier."He's been able to get a little bit of sanity back," said Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler.Kuchar seems to have no second thoughts on passing up a chance to turn pro, on not cashing in on a three-month stretch that saw him go from being a relatively unknown U.S. Amateur champion to having one of the most recognizable faces in golf.

POTOMAC -- Tommy Tolles would have liked to have been able to attribute yesterday's round of 5-under 66 to his change in golf clubs, and Armour Golf certainly would have appreciated the plug. But like any good carpenter, Tolles wasn't about to blame his tools. Instead, he credited his manager, Lyn Roach of Weston, Va., for clearing the "little demons" from his head and putting him back on course."I've been playing kind of scared golf lately," said Tolles, who turned in the best score on a windy day at Avenel.

POTOMAC -- The hissing noise wasn't audible coming out of Ben Brundred's office Monday afternoon at the TPC at Avenel, but the general chairman of the Kemper Open has spent the past two days trying to put some life back into the $2 million tournament that begins today without Tiger Woods.Because of a back injury, Woods was forced to withdraw, leaving a long star-crossed event without its main attraction. Asked yesterday what it was like to take that fateful telephone call from Woods, Brundred said: "It was total deflation.

POTOMAC -- When he staggered off the final green and slumped in a chair in the scorer's tent, dazed and distraught after blowing last year's Kemper Open, most figured that things could not get any worse for Mark Wiebe.Seemingly betrayed by a case of the yips, Wiebe had missed short putts for par on each of the last two holes to finish at 2-over 73 and lose by a shot to Justin Leonard."The big joke is that I kind of jump-started Justin Leonard's career," Wiebe, 41, said recently. "Had I not folded my tents, he might not have won the British Open and the Players Championship."

TROON, Scotland -- Justin Leonard came to Scotland for the 126th British Open at Royal Troon hoping to gain experience to help him in future overseas trips and to gain enough points to help him secure a place on this year's Ryder Cup team.By the time he was finished playing yesterday's final round, the 25-year-old Texan had taken home something even more valuable.The claret jug.It was presented to Leonard on the 18th green last night before a cheering crowd that included many of his fellow American players, including Tom Kite.

GULLANE, Scotland - They teed off more than four hours before the final twosome, and when they finished, the rainstorm that swept through Muirfield yesterday was just starting to blow. Justin Rose and Justin Leonard came in just in time. "There are so many players between myself and what's leading, I'll have to wait and see what's leading at the end of the day, but conditions will have to get pretty bad," Leonard said. "I don't think we've seen the teeth of the course yet this week, but hopefully the fellows will this afternoon now that I'm in."

DULUTH, Ga. -- It took 10 months, but Tiger Woods' trademark smile returned yesterday. It was not, however, the youthful, exuberant smile we had remembered. The expression behind this smile was one of relief.By winning the BellSouth Classic at the TPC at Sugarloaf, Woods ended a drought of 16 PGA Tour starts without a victory. He had not won a tour event since last July's Motorola Western Open.For most players, that would constitute a lull. But a player of Woods' caliber doesn't get off that easy.

Remember when older folks used to say that children were best seen and not heard? In case you hadn't noticed, the kids are being seen and heard from on the professional golf tour in a major way.Each of this year's three majors, the Masters (Tiger Woods), the U.S. Open (Ernie Els) and the British Open (Justin Leonard) was won by someone who fits quite neatly into the Generation X profile, though we don't know if any of these fellows is into grunge rock or wearing flannel shirts or saying "like" a lot.What this new breed of golfers is into, according to CBS analyst Gary McCord, is winning titles.