Par 5

The sun rose from the east and set in the west yesterday and Arundel's golf team won the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Golf Tournament at Eisenhower Golf Course in Crownsville.There were no surprises here.Led by junior Paul Wills, who claimed low-medalist honors with a 4-over-par round of 75, the Wildcats captured their third consecutive county tournament crown and gained the added confidence they will need to three-peat at the state tournament at the University of Maryland tomorrow and Friday.

Golf ClubAddress: 2158 Littlestown Pike, Route 97, Westminster 21158Telephone: 410-876-4653Professional: Jeff Reck, PGASuperintendent: Bob ReckOpened: 1989Open: All year (First tee-off at dawn)Status: Semi-privateHoles: 18Par: 71Yardage: 6,319 (tips); 6,135 (middle); 5,397 (forward tees)Course rating/slope: 70.6/124 (tips); 68.8/121 (middle); 60.6/123 (front)Greens fees: $16 weekdays; $26 weekends and holidaysCarts: $14Directions: Take 795 West to 140 West to 97 North. Go three miles up 97 and course is on the left (across from sports complex)

IRVING, Texas -- Tiger Woods made it obvious from the start of yesterday's opening round at the Byron Nelson Classic that there was no rust on his game. Playing in his first tournament since winning the Masters, Woods birdied six of the first 10 holes on the TPC at Las Colinas course.By the end of a long day that included a delay of more than 3 1/2 hours after a morning thunderstorm, something else was obvious about Woods. His mental resolve was just as tough as it was last month when he set records and made history at Augusta National.

Throughout the last 10 years, George Burns has battled injuries that have forced him to change his approach to the game. Wrist surgery to repair a fracture in 1991 impeded his grip strength and forced the former Maryland golfer to switch from stiff to very weak clubs and modify his swing. That was followed by rotator cuff surgery in 1988 and knee surgery about a month before Q-school, just after he had turned 50. "With the type of swing that I have, which is sort of high maintenance and I always have to work at it, I didn't have the chance to work at it because I was more interested in getting healthy," he said.

GULLANE, Scotland -- What was expected to be a walk in the park for Britain's Nick Faldo turned into a hazardous journey in the 121st British Open yesterday at the Muirfield course.He prevailed at the end to win his third British Open title, but American John Cook will live with the memory that he gave it away."Absolutely," Cook said. "I definitely let one slip away. Not being on the plateau that Faldo is, I have to learn from this. I had a chance to win a major championship and I didn't."

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- They talk about the tradition here, of a tournament that doesn't change, of a golf course that only seems to improve with age. But yesterday at Augusta National, after the opening round of the 58th Masters, they were talking about something else.The bizarre.How else do you explain former champion Larry Mize, who less than a month ago wasn't sure he was even going to play after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, taking the opening-round lead with a 4-under-par 68?Or Fulton Allem, who along with Tom Kite finished one shot behind at 3-under 69, hitting his tee shot 40 yards on the par-3 16th hole, needing to consult his yardage book for the 101-yard approach, then nearly saving par?

MAMARONECK, N.Y.-- They are golfing purists who earlier this year became the last two players on the PGA Tour to begrudgingly switch drivers from persimmon woods to metal. Today, Justin Leonard and Davis Love III will be the last two players to tee off in the final round of the 79th PGA Championship.Having distanced themselves and seemingly lapped the rest of the field here at Winged Foot in yesterday's third round, Leonard will try to win his second straight major championship while Love will attempt to win the first of his successful, but seemingly unfulfilled 12-year career.

The old baseball pitcher in Larry Nelson returned yesterday in the final round of the $1.5 million Constellation Energy Classic. He shook off the pain in his right pointer finger, which resulted not from a stinging base hit but from a stinging bee. He went after the par-5 16th hole at Hayfields Country Club as he did all those hitters he faced years ago. One more thing: Nelson got the "W" - and a very big "W" at that. After going for the green on the 553-yard 16th with his second shot, Nelson birdied out of a green-side bunker to take a one-stroke lead over Doug Tewell before finishing with a 70 for a 9-under-par 207 total and a two-stroke win over Tewell and Jim Dent.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- She has not yet eclipsed the performance she gave at last month's U.S. Women's Open. Even if Jenny Chuasiriporn goes on to win the 98th U.S. Women's Amateur here at Barton Hills Country Club, it might not be bigger than what she did at Blackwolf Run.But as well as Chuasiriporn played in pushing Se Ri Pak to 20 playoff holes, it was not close to how well she played yesterday in advancing to today's semifinals. A 21-year-old from Timonium, Chuasiriporn was Tigeresque in her dominance.

SOUTHPORT, England -- The memories from last year's British Open at Royal Troon remain painfully vivid for TigerWoods.There was the good, including a third-round, course-record 64. There was the bad, including second and final rounds of 74. And there was the ugly, including a pair of triple bogeys and a quadruple bogey that left Woods at even-par for the tournament, tied for 24th, 12 shots behind winner Justin Leonard.Woods took those memories and a new approach into the opening round of the 127th Open at Royal Birkdale yesterday.