Royal Troon Golf Club

You can hear the siren wail of ghosts at the British Open. Golfers trod on ground where their game was born with sticks and rocks, ground over which kings and dukes feuded with bows and arrows, leaving a legacy of ruined castles and great volumes of history. The courses, centuries old, lie in lonely, grandmotherly villages along the stark Scottish coast, the tides lapping right up to the fairways, the constant cawing of sea gulls interrupting the silence.

You can hear the siren wail of ghosts at the British Open. Golfers trod on ground where their game was born with sticks and rocks, ground over which kings and dukes feuded with bows and arrows, leaving a legacy of ruined castles and great volumes of history. The courses, centuries old, lie in lonely, grandmotherly villages along the stark Scottish coast, the tides lapping right up to the fairways, the constant cawing of sea gulls interrupting the silence.

Don Baker of Canoga Park won two matches Saturday and reached the semifinals of the British Mid-Amateur Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Baker, the only American remaining in the field, upset co-medalist Giles Legg of Dudsbury Golf Club in Dorset, England, in the third round, 2 and 1. In the afternoon, Baker downed Nicolas Bell of Carlisle Golf Club in Cumbria, England, 1 up, in the quarterfinals.

Don Baker of Canoga Park defeated fellow American Chip Lutz, 1 up, on Friday in the second round of match play at the British Mid-Amateur Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Baker will play Giles Legg of Dudsbury Golf Club in Dorset, England, in the third round today. Legg tied for medalist honors in qualifying at 70-73--143.

Mark Calcavecchia may flinch a bit when recalling his finish in the Canon Greater Hartford Open, but he is delighted to discuss his victory in the British Open 51 weeks ago. "What did winning it do for me?" he said rhetorically. "Made me money." As in Brinks armored carloads. Before winning the title he'll defend starting Thursday at St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland, Calcavecchia said he felt fortunate to receive a $20,000 guarantee to play in the 1989 Swiss Open.

Neils Ludlow has resigned as boys' basketball coach at El Camino Real High and will be replaced by assistant John Gould. Gould has been an assistant the last two seasons. * Ron Haywood has resigned as girls' basketball coach at Highland High and has joined the staff at Louisville. Haywood, who was 21-29 in two seasons at Highland, is expected to take over Louisville's program beginning the 2001-02 season after Kevin Wiser steps down.

The sky is the color of motor oil, the wind is blowing hard and there's enough mud around here to make a swamp jealous. It must be time to play the British Open, the oldest major title in golf that is being played for the 126th time beginning today at Royal Troon on the shore of the Firth of Clyde on the western Scottish coast.

Jack Nicklaus should have known better. After all, no one remembers the ABC-TV kiss of death better than Nicklaus, who received the hated peck on the cheek a decade ago, when Pebble Beach last played host to the U.S. Open. Now Colin Montgomerie knows it, too. It is a Sunday smooch he could have done without. Some history is in order. In '82, Nicklaus was sitting in the network's broadcast booth waiting for Tom Watson to finish his final round.

Mark Calcavecchia might flinch when recalling his disappointing finish in the Greater Hartford Open, but he is delighted to discuss his victory in the British Open 51 weeks ago. "What did winning it do for me?" he said. "Made me money." As in Brink's armored car loads. Before winning the title he will defend starting Thursday at St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland, Calcavecchia said he felt fortunate to receive a $20,000 guarantee to play in the 1989 Swiss Open.

Actual British Open weather arrived at Royal Troon on Tuesday, two days before the British Open begins. Maybe it was only a practice round. Besides wind and rain, the temperature was cool enough to chill a fine bottle of white and sent a lot of players scurrying off the course to find someplace warm. Tiger Woods spent some time surveying Troon with his golf clubs, a trek that included a memorable visit to the 126-yard No. 8, the so-called "Postage Stamp," where Woods left his ball in a bunker.

His dog is named Troon's Magical Sunday, so you probably can guess how good a day it was for Justin Leonard on that mid-July Sunday at the 1997 British Open. Leonard had turned 25 two days before the tournament began at Royal Troon Golf Club, a layout he had never seen until he played his first practice round on Monday morning. It didn't take long for Leonard to develop a certain fondness for Troon, and the reason is simple.