State Farm

Christy O'Connor's emotions wavered at different moments in the final round of the $1.3 million State Farm Senior Classic yesterday at Hobbit's Glen Golf Club in Columbia.Thoughts of his son, Daren, who died at age 17 in an automobile accident in September entered his head several times. But what kept O'Connor focused was the fact that Bruce Fleisher wasn't going away.The three-shot lead that O'Connor had taken into the round and increased to five through five holes was down to one with seven to play.

Looking to Maryland as the national leader in farmland preservation, four bus loads of Midwesterners visited Montgomery, Carroll and Harford counties Friday as part of a mid-Atlantic tour to gather advice and inspiration for their efforts at home. "You can see the impact of the program and what a difference it can make over 15 years," said David Skjaerlund, a Michigan farmer who started the tours two years ago. Michigan, Indiana and Ohio have each lost between 1 million and 1.5 million acres of farmland over the past 15 years.

A former hockey player proved to be the toughest mudder yesterday in the final round of the $1.45 million State Farm Senior Classic. Allen Doyle was as tenacious in the rain and wind at Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley as he was on the ice all those years ago at Norwich University in Massachusetts. With his slap-shot swing and dead-eye putting stroke, Doyle beat Bruce Fleisher on the third extra playoff hole. The top two money-winners on the Senior PGA Tour shadowed each other down the stretch in regulation by making birdie putts on the par-5 18th hole, then each made another birdie on the second playoff hole.

Maryland's 348,000 homeowners who have State Farm insurance policies will be hit with rate increases of more than 25 percent beginning in September, the company said yesterday. The company is one of many that are raising rates in the state this year. State Farm Insurance Co., the largest homeowner insurer in the state with nearly a quarter of the market, said it needs the 25.2 percent boost because of increases in the number of claims and in the average payment per claim. State Farm, which lost $5 billion last year, also was hit by stock market losses, further depleting funds available to make payments.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., the nation's largest auto insurer, said yesterday that it will pay Maryland policyholders $15.9 million in dividends, beginning Nov. 1.The payments are part of a $692.3 million nationwide dividend distribution program announced yesterday by the Bloomington, Ill.-based insurer.Policyholders in 30 states and the District of Columbia will benefit.M. Richard Adams, a spokesman for State Farm's Seaboard Regional Office in Frederick, said the program is the result of "the frequency and costs of claims being lower than anticipated" during the past six months.

State Farm Insurance Co. will cut 400 to 500 jobs at its Frederick Operations Center over the next 2 1/2 years as part of an effort to consolidate operations in the Mid-Atlantic region, the company said yesterday. The company is combining its underwriting operations in Frederick with those at its Charlottesville Operations Center in Virginia. The Frederick facility employs 1,000. The Charlottesville facility employs 1,100 but is expected to grow by 200 to 300 workers as the businesses are combined.

A Senior PGA Tour event in the Baltimore area became a reality yesterday with the announcement that State Farm Insurance Co. would be the title sponsor for a full-field event.The first State Farm Senior Classic will be held July 3 through 5 at Hobbit's Glen Golf Club in Columbia. The 54-hole tournament, to be televised by ESPN, will carry a purse of $1.25 million.The FORE Baltimore Foundation, founded two years ago to raise money for local charities through golf tournaments, is a co-sponsor with the Senior PGA Tour and will have the Maryland Special Olympics as the primary charity.

Christy O'Connor will never forget the emotion he felt the last time he was at Hobbit's Glen Golf Club in Columbia. He will always remember the sadness coupled with remarkable joy that marked his victory in last year's State Farm Senior Classic, a victory that came only 10 months after the death of his 17-year-old son in an automobile accident. Back at Hobbit's Glen for the tournament's Media Day yesterday, O'Connor intermingled smiles and laughs with slight flinches when he talked about the feelings that went along with his one-shot victory over Bruce Fleisher.

A lot of people may be dreaming of a white Christmas this year, but many farmers in Maryland are looking for a green one.Tree sales are being bolstered this year by nature, which delivered an early Christmas present to tree farmers in the form of relatively balmy weather. In contrast to the record lows and frequent snows last year, the weather has been mild this holiday season.For Christmas tree growers and retailers, that has translated into larger-than-usual crowds on the weekends. In the warmer weather, more people have been traipsing across farm fields and lots in search of Christmas trees.

He's the guy with the funny-looking swing and the funny-sounding accent, a player who draws stares and sets records wherever he plays.Now, as a rookie on the PGA Senior Tour, Allen Doyle is doing what he did during a late-blooming amateur career -- winning.With three victories and $1,062,831 in earnings, Doyle has gone from curiosity item to Player of the Year candidate."I always had to shoot a score to show people I could play," Doyle, 51, said Tuesday at Hobbit's Glen Golf Club, where he was preparing for this week's $1.3 million State Farm Senior Classic.