Oakmont

OAKMONT, Pa. -- It could be that Phil Mickelson will long for the day when he was an idiot. At least back then he still could swing a club. Right now, it seems very unlikely that Mickelson will redeem himself for the U.S. Open meltdown at Winged Foot Golf Club, the one last June in which he turned a lead into a loss on the last hole and said, "I am such an idiot." He showed up at this Open in a different kind of pain, one in his inflamed left wrist. If it weren't the U.S. Open, if it were some other tournament, he probably would not be playing, he said yesterday at Oakmont Country Club.

OAKMONT, Pa. -- Tiger Woods missed a right-to-left putt yesterday that would have forced a playoff at Oakmont Country Club, and the 107th U.S. Open unofficially became The International Open of America. Angel Cabrera of Argentina waddled off with the championship by shooting 1-under-par 69 and finishing at 5-over 285. That was enough, on a humid day and a treacherous track, to hold off Woods and Jim Furyk, who ended up one shot back at 286. Niclas Fasth finished fourth at 287, and David Toms and Bubba Watson finished four shots back at 289. Cabrera joins a U.S. Open winners line behind Geoff Ogilvy (Australia, 2006)

An Italian restaurant may join the businesses planned for the Oakmont Green Retail Center on Route 30 in Hampstead.Jeff Zigler, of Carroll Land Services, presented a draft site plan for the proposed restaurant to the Hampstead Planning and Zoning Commission last night.It calls for a 230-seat restaurant and 96 parking spaces on a 1.25-acre site on the east side of Route 30.If approved, the restaurant would sit immediately south of the existing Subway restaurant.For access to Route 30, the proposed Italian restaurant would use the access already approved for the Oakmont Green Retail Center now under construction, Mr. Zigler said.

OAKMONT, Pa. -- Unless the big names are up there, few pay much attention to the top of the leader board early in a major tournament. Instead, fans scan down to see where the stars are positioned. Yesterday, there was Tiger Woods, sitting three shots back after a 71 in the first round of the U.S. Open. He's in good shape. Diamondbacks@O's Tonight, 7:05, MASN, 105.7 FM Starters: Micah Owings (4-1, 3.76) vs. Erik Bedard (4-4, 3.72)

MODELS OPENOakmont Green1.Hagan & Hamilton Custom Home Builders has completed construction of the Chapel Hill, a three-level, brick-front Colonial that serves as the company's model in the golf course community of Oakmont Green in Hampstead, Carroll County.The house is open for inspection each Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment.The first floor of the Chapel Hill features a hardwood entry foyer flanked by an 11-by-10-foot library and a 17-by-13-foot living room.On the second floor, there are three bedrooms, a full bath and a master suite with bath and walk-in closet.

AS THE stock market rises, so does the amount of fraud. If Willie Sutton were alive today, he wouldn't rob banks, he'd set up a thieving stockbrokerage house.The bad guys generally tout "penny stocks" -- stocks priced under $5 a share or perhaps just a little bit more.These stocks are often listed on the OTC Bulletin Board or Nasdaq SmallCap Market. Both are overseen by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), so many investors take the listing as a seal of approval.Not so. The Bulletin Board will list any stock that comes along, even empty shells.

WASHINGTON -- Brokerages are lining up to oppose a plan that would require them to use only registered brokers for stock sales "cold calls," saying the measure would be too expensive and could hurt the industry's growth.The National Association of Securities Dealers, in a fight against abusive cold-calling practices, has proposed a rule that would forbid nonbrokers to make sales calls to potential customers."We are concerned that adoption of the proposed interpretation would have a negative impact on the legitimate sales of NASD member firms," Merrill Lynch & Co. senior counsel Eneida Rosa wrote to the NASD.

Liz Janangelo will not play in the ING New England Golf Classic this week at Wintonbury Hills Golf Course in Bloomfield because of a right hip injury that forced her to withdraw early in the second round of the U.S. Open Friday in Oakmont, Pa. "The pain has been off and on this year," Janangelo said Sunday. "But when I woke up Thursday before the first round of the U.S. Open, it was awful." Janangelo, an LPGA Tour player from West Hartford, shot an 84 in the opening round at Oakmont Country Club.

OAKMONT, Pa. -- An admitted mistake yesterday by Trey Holland, chairman of the U.S. Open rules committee, might be the reason Ernie Els still is in contention going into today's 18-hole playoff.Holland's ruling came after Els snap-hooked his drive at No. 1 into what looked like thick, tangled rough. Instead of having to try to hit out, or drop with a one-shot penalty, Els was able to drop because Holland ruled that a crane holding a television camera was an unmovable obstruction."In the past, we've had some [forklift-type]

A 12-year-old boy was killed and his 15-year-old friend was injured last night when the motorized mini-bike they were riding collided with a car on a poorly lighted street in Northwest Baltimore, police said.Nicholas Langley of the 2900 block of Woodland Avenue was pronounced dead at Sinai Hospital from massive head and neck injuries.His friend, Anthony Mark of the 3600 block of Oakmont Avenue, was in stable condition at Sinai Hospital.Officer Richard Youngbar said the accident occurred about 6:30 p.m. as the youths rode their mini-bike west in the 2700 block of Oakley Avenue.