In her first tournament as a pro, Stacy Lewis found herself atop the leader board at last weekend's U.S. Women's Open. The Woodlands High School product is leading the way for other young golfers making noise in the Houston area.

Stacy Lewis birdied three of her first four holes Friday, then held on for a 3-under 69 at the LPGA Tour's NW Arkansas Championship.

Jeff Overton continued his one-week turnaround Friday with a 5-under 65, giving him a share of the lead with Tom Pernice Jr. in the AT&T National.

Steve Marino used to consider it a treat the few times he played Congressional as a teenager. It was a thrill on Thursday to play bogey-free in the first round of the AT&T National and shoot 5-under 65 for a one-shot lead.

The PGA Tour joined the modern era of sports at the AT&T National as its anti-doping program took effect. "Hopefully, we can show how clean our sport is," one golfer says.

When Jordan Rumora and Nicko Dodd qualified last week for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, it meant three Houston-area golfers would be competing at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Ala. Cory Whitsett of Memorial High School is the defending champion and earned exempt status for the July 21-26 event.

Clear Creek Golf Course may not come immediately to mind as a Houston-area facility hosting a large number of rounds. However, the southeast Houston course does get traffic, and one reason may be the condition of its greens. Though not overly fast, balls roll well on the greens, and they're not bumpy.

Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez are the contenders for best male athlete as the ESPY nominees were announced Tuesday. The sports awards show will air July 20.

Tiger Woods does not know when he can play golf again, but he said Monday his rebuilt left knee has been sore his entire PGA Tour career, and he looks forward to playing on two good legs.

Tiger Woods does not know when he can play golf again, but he said Monday his rebuilt left knee has been sore his entire PGA Tour career and he looks forward to playing on two good legs.

Guy Goodspeed of Del Rio and James Dalthorp III of Houston spent a little more than three hours in the blistering heat and humidity Sunday at Memorial Park Golf Course trying to decide this year's 2008 TGA State Public Links Championship.

Kenny Perry joined a short list of multiple champions at the 50th Buick Open.

Two weeks away from her 20th birthday, Inbee Park became the youngest winner of the U.S. Women's Open on Sunday by closing with a 2-under 71 as everyone else around her faded away at Interlachen.

Stacy Lewis watched one final birdie putt slip into the corner of the cup for a 6-under-par 67 that gave The Woodlands resident a 9-under 210 total and a one-shot lead over Paula Creamer in the U.S. Women's Open, one round away from completing a script out of Hollywood.

Daniel Chopra took advantage of an opportunity to build a cushion in the Buick Open. Chopra birdied the last hole Saturday after Dudley Hart bogeyed it, giving the Swede a two-shot lead with one round left at Warwick Hills

After the first nine holes of the semifinal round of the TGA State Public Links Championship, Guy Goodspeed of Del Rio found himself in an adverse situation — down three strokes with the back nine to play. But Goodspeed fought his way back, making par on six out of the next eight holes and recording birdies on No. 13 and No. 16.

Daniel Chopra birdied the last hole Saturday after Dudley Hart bogeyed it, giving the Swede a two-shot lead with one round left at the Buick Open.

Lisa McCloskey of Montgomery turned in the second-best score of the day among girls in Friday's final round of the Doug Sanders Junior-Celebrity Golf Tournament, shooting a 3-under-par 69.

The PGA Tour's optimistic view of life without Tiger Woods is that it gives unheralded players a chance in the spotlight.

Angela Park found a smooth putting stroke to go with her pretty swing, posting a 6-under 67 well before storms forced a 2 1/2 -hour delay on Friday.

Even though Kyle Collins never had played Memorial Park Golf Course before this week's 2008 TGA State Public Links Championship, his family has a little history there. Collins' uncle Fred Collins once was the head golf professional at the course.

The PGA Tour's optimistic view of life without Tiger Woods is that it gives unheralded players a chance in the spotlight. Bo Van Pelt is trying to take advantage. Van Pelt shot a 6-under 66 Friday at the Buick Open, making him a career-best 14-under 130 through 36 holes and the second-round leader by two shots.

Looking at Seth Thornton's expression after the completion of his round Thursday in the 2008 State Public Links Championship at Memorial Park Golf Course, it would be hard to tell if he had shot a low score or a high one.

After one is home-schooled for 12 years, enrolling at Rice takes a little adjusting. For Owls golfer Michael Whitehead, the transition to college actually went smoothly. Just like his swing.

If the USGA Public Links Championship was held at Memorial Park Golf Course, Lance Lopez would likely win. Lopez has Memorial's number. Last week at Memorial, Lopez was the low qualifier as three players advanced from the Public Links qualifier for the championship, July 14-19 in Aurora, Colo.

It's happening as we speak on a golf course somewhere in America. A guy stands on a tee, unsheathes his driver, and passes one of those remarks he wouldn't try on anybody but his pals.

For those golfers who don't mind paying more, the experience at Magnolia Creek should be even better. Formerly known as Magnolia Creek Golf Links, the 27-hole facility, now called Canongate at Magnolia Creek, has been under the umbrella of Atlanta-based Canongate Golf since April 14, and June 16 the course went private.

Tiger Woods has undergone reconstructive surgery on his left knee in Utah to repair a torn ligament, and doctors say it's "highly unlikely'' there will be any long-term effects.

Former PGA star Doug Sanders wanted to give back to golf, so the Houstonian is re-establishing a junior golf tournament that features 24 junior golfers from around the world.

Stewart Cink held off late charges from Tommy Armour III and defending champion Hunter Mahan to win the Travelers Championship by a stroke. With the victory, Cink was projected to go to a career-high No. 6 in the world rankings.

Houston's Cory Whitsett added the 91st Western Junior title to his growing resumé today, coasting to finish at 12-under par for a four-stroke victory.

Stewart Cink moved to the top of the Travelers Championship leader board Friday.

NBC Sports golf analyst Johnny Miller apologized for his description of U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate, saying the comments had "absolutely nothing to do with his ethnicity."

European captain Nick Faldo said Friday that an American team without Tiger Woods in the Ryder Cup could be just as dangerous if it uses his absence as motivation.

How special was Tiger Woods' victory at the U.S. Open on an injured knee and bum leg? Kirk Gibson connected on just one great swing. Willis Reed made only two shots. Curt Schilling lasted a mere seven innings. Michael Jordan played through one difficult night with the flu.

Sometimes wincing, often limping, Woods won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego with stress fractures in his leg, he revealed Wednesday on his Web site, where he also announced that he will not play again this year because he needs surgery to repair a torn ligament in his troubled left knee. He also said he has a double stress fracture in his left tibia.

Doctors who treat the kinds of knee and leg injuries that ended Tiger Woods' season have one word for his U.S. Open victory ? remarkable.

Johnson Wagner shot a 6-under 64 Thursday in the Travelers Championship to match Steve Lowery, Brad Adamonis and Englishman Brian Davis for the first-round lead.

Houston's Cory Whitsett added the 91st Western Junior title to his growing resumé today, coasting to finish at 12-under par for a four-stroke victory.

Haney amazedTiger Woods' swing coach Hank Haney said he wasn't sure Woods could complete 18 holes at the U.S. Open because of Woods' surgically repaired left knee. He ended up needing 91 holes to win the tournament.

Rocco Mediate vs. Tiger Woods. On paper, this is a mismatch. But you can't tell Mediate that, Jerome Solomon writes.

Tiger Woods prevailed in sudden death after an 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open, spoiling Rocco Mediate's bid to become the PGA's oldest first-time winner of a major championship.

After 33 years as head golf professional and general manager at Stephen F. Austin Golf Course in San Felipe, Billy Browne is retiring. "It's been a good ride, but it's time for the young guys to take over," Browne said. "They'll do a good job."

For all the greatness Tiger Woods has shown over the years, this he was not supposed to be able to do.

Memorial High's Cory Whitsett, the reigning U.S. Junior champion, carded a 4-under 66 Tuesday for a share of the lead at the 91st Western Junior Championship on Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside Course.

10-year-old golfer breaks age record Ten-year-old Allisen Corpuz of Kapolei, Hawaii, shot a 15-over-par 88 in the second round of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship at Erin Hills Golf Course in Erin, Wis., on Tuesday.

One of the beauties of the recently completed U.S. Open is that it's open to amateur golfers. It's not an invitational golf tournament. All you have to do is qualify. But to qualify, you have to have a USGA Handicap Index. And you have to have a Handicap Index of 1.4 or less.

Tiger Woods lost the U.S. Open lead right away Sunday, making double-bogey for the third time this week on No. 1 and turning his quest for a 14th major title into anything but a done deal.

Heath Slocum gave himself a nice Father's Day gift with a 6-under 65 on Sunday, the best score in a U.S. Open since Vijay Singh shot 63 in the second round in 2003.

Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods have finished in a tie at the U.S. Open, forcing an 18-hole playoff for the first time since 2001.

The man who knows more about losing in U.S. Open playoffs than just about anybody said he will place a call to Rocco Mediate in the next few days.

With unbearable pain and three unforgettable shots, Tiger Woods turned in one of his most memorable performances in a major Saturday to take a one-shot lead at Torrey Pines.

The first plane of orphans flying out of Saigon crashed, and not a soul survived. Liem Hutt was on the second plane.

Ernie Els has been lost in a fog for a while, but with rounds of 72 and 70 he's in contention midway through the Open. "Mentally, I'm good," Els said. "I'm really up for it."

A 30 on the front nine at Torrey Pines gave Tiger Woods a 3-under 68 and left him one shot behind Stuart Appleby going into the weekend.

With unbearable pain and three unforgettable shots, Tiger Woods turned in one of his most memorable performances in a major Saturday to take a one-shot lead at Torrey Pines.

Phil Mickelson admitted he wanted to win the U.S. Open in his hometown so much that it might have hurt his performance. Mickelson, who grew up in San Diego and lives here, has won three Buick Invitationals at Torrey Pines.

Phil Mickelson left no doubt about his feelings concerning the lengthening of the 13th hole at this week's U.S. Open. "That new tee box is terrible," Mickelson said in a news conference at Torrey Pines Golf Course, site of 108th U.S. Open. "It's the biggest waste of money that I've ever seen. There's no other way to look at it."

As one of Carol Mann's friends from The Woodlands said, Mann doesn't need a funeral after being the recipient of the 2008 PGA First Lady of Golf Award on May 21 in Rochester, N.Y.

Ben Curtis was still wearing a San Diego Chargers shirt and cap after his practice round on Wednesday when Nate Kaeding, the kicker for Southern California's only NFL team, walked up and said, "You look good in that Chargers gear."