Par

Catonsville High graduate and McDaniel College golfer Greg Bowman closed the NCAA Division III golf championships in Greensboro, N.C. with a final round of 77. The junior, who played as an individual for the final 36 holes, finished up his 72 holes on the East Course of the Grandover Resort on Friday with a total of 301 (13 over par), recording the lowest individual 72-hole score of any Green Terror golfer and any Centennial Conference golfer at the championship. In the first round Bowman fired a career-low round of 70 and followed that with with an even-par 72 to post a 142 and make the cut Bowman's score tied for 36th place overall of the 81 players who made the cut after a tournament that started with 205 golfers.

Go into any English soccer stadium on any given Saturday afternoon and you are assured of hearing language that would curl a nun's toes. So why is such a fuss being made of Wayne Rooney and his latest bit of Neanderthal behavior? Mostly because it makes good copy, that's why. It titillates television viewers, and it sells tabloid newspapers. For those who have not been paying attention, here is a brief rundown of the latest contretemps to embroil the Manchester United and England millionaire misfit.

Fred Couples shot a 5-under 65 for a share of the U.S. Senior Open lead, feeding off a raucous hometown crowd hoping the native son can win his first U.S. Golf Association championship. Couples matched Bernhard Langer (68) at 5 under at tree-lined Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash., with Langer birdieing the final hole to pull even. They are the only players under par after three rounds. Couples shot a 4-under 31 on the front nine, making birdies at Nos. 2, 5, 7 and 9 and holing a bunker shot on the sixth to save par. He added a birdie at the 16th to post the best round of the week.

Bruce Vaughan took advantage of cool morning conditions with an opening-round 66 to take a two-shot lead in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open on Thursday in Sammamish, Wash. Less than a week after finishing in a tie for 20th at the Senior British Open, Vaughan picked up where he left off with birdies on Sahalee's 16th and 18th holes — the 18th a brutal, uphill 465-yard par 4, converted from a par 5. Vaughan then birdied the second, third and sixth holes on his back nine, before bogeying the par-3 9th, his final hole of the day. "(I'm)

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — As he watched the Old Course bleed red with low score after low score in the opening round of the British Open, elder statesman Tom Watson felt compelled to pronounce: "The old lady had no clothes on today." Boy, can that old broad hit back. Motionless golf balls suddenly off for a rollabout. Players forced to step away to regain their balance. Thursday's toast of St. Andrews suddenly looking like an 8-handicapper as he slashed his way through the heather.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Dustin Johnson was informed late Saturday that, going back to 1975, more than half the players holding a 54-hole lead at a PGA Tour event had failed to close out the victory. Why would that be? "I've got no idea," Johnson said. He does now. Johnson imploded early Sunday, setting the tone for a day at Pebble Beach that will be remembered for producing carnage from top players rather than the first European-born U.S. Open champion in 40 years.

Baltimore's poor African-American students are reading on average as well as their peers, whether they are in a small town in North Carolina or a city such as Chicago, according to the results of a national test released Thursday. The results of the most rigorous and reliable assessment of reading given across the nation show that the city still faces challenges in improving its schools. The majority of fourth- and eighth-graders didn't pass the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which doesn't test just whether they can read, but whether they can comprehend a long passage and write a short response.

Baltimore's leaders have been encouraging developers to go green for a while but recently made it official. All sizable new projects and major renovations have to make energy and environmental upgrades. That will mean healthier buildings with lower operating costs for developers and cleaner air and water and lower carbon emissions for the city. It puts Baltimore in a league with more than 200 other cities and states with mandates, though Baltimore appears to have one of the more progressive programs, including private as well as buildings as small as 10,000 square feet.

On a shocking and stirring day at the 138th British Open, two of the least-frequently asked questions in the English language loomed over Turnberry and competed for primacy. Would Tiger Woods really miss the cut? And: Could a 59-year-old actually win this thing? After the overwhelming favorite thrashed through a six-hole thud so profound he looked like some other and far more deeply flawed human, the first question found an even rarer answer. Yes. And as Tom Watson righted a foundering round with four birdies in the last 10 holes, a 60-foot monster putt on No. 16 and a 60-footer from the fringe on No. 18 that loosed a proper roar, the second question found a curious answer.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - - Earlier this week, Cristie Kerr defused the LPGA's commissioner hysterics by encouraging questions about her budding winemaking business. Asked how she's unwinding after each grueling round at Saucon Valley Country Club, Kerr didn't miss a beat. "Wine," she said. "Wine and good food." Must be a good vintage. Kerr, 31, takes a 2-shot lead into today's final round of the U.S. Women's Open, seeking her second title in three years. And she has the nerves, the putter, the position and the confidence to ensure she's popping another cork tonight.