Sure, Tiger may have missed the cut for the first time in forever, but a much more interesting local story has developed in Scotland. Steve Marino, a Fairfax native who began swinging a golf club in his Northern Virginia backyard at the age of three, sat atop the leaderboard of the British Open as third-round play teed off this morning at Turnberry. Marino, who shot a solid 67 on Thursday and holed a big eagle putt on 17 yesterday, was a four-year letterman at the University of Virginia and played junior golf all over the region. Looks like Fred Funk now has some serious competition for the title of best professional golfer from the D.C. area. UPDATE: Or maybe not. It seems as if Marino has dropped five strokes in the first five holes this morning and now sits tied for tenth at even par. The chances of Marino winning the tournament are likely dead, but hey, at least he can say he led the Open once. very much alive, though, as he's made a small charge and is back to one off the lead at 2-under through 12. more ›

• Tiger Wins AT&T National: Although an incredibly strong round by Hunter Mahan -- an eight-under 62, tying the course record that had been set by third-place finisher Anthony Kim on Thursday -- held the end result temporarily in question at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, there just wasn't any way that Tiger Woods was going to lose the tournament that bears his name. A picture-perfect iron shot on the 18th wrapped up the tournament for Woods, whose third win of the season nets him a million bucks (which he's funneling into his foundation) and a shiny silver replica of the Capitol. Here's your final scoreboard.
• Nationals 5, Braves 3: The Nationals closed out their Independence Weekend with a win, thanks to the efforts of newly-acquired center fielder Nyjer Morgan and starter Scott Olsen. Morgan had a fantastic overall game: three hits, two doubles, a run scored and one batted in, speed to burn, and two great defensive plays: a catch top of the sixth which saved extra bases and an aggressive dive and throw which nailed Martin Prado at second in the seventh. Olsen (2-4) missed pitching his first big league complete game by one out, scattering eight hits. Olsen even went two-for-three at the dish with a perfect sacrifice bunt and a RBI to boot. The home team was in charge all afternoon, and had one of their better defensive efforts this year. Of course, the Nats made it interesting -- the Braves sent seven batters come to the plate in the ninth, and had the go-ahead run at the plate, but Mike MacDougal finally coaxed Brian McCann to groundout, earning his fifth save of the season. The Nats now head off on a long road trip, stopping in Denver and Houston before the All-Star break.
• Sol 1, Freedom 0: Elsewhere in Montgomery County, the Freedom conceded a late strike from Brazilian master Marta and fell at the hands of WPS-best Los Angeles in a tightly contested game at the Soccerplex in Germantown.

Writing in the Examiner, Hayley Peterson reports on a resurrected bill from D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton that would allow private companies to take over running the District’s three public golf courses in order to finance much needed improvements. The plan, presumably, would mean access to the historically cheap public courses would become more expensive. more ›

The idea is a simple one: close your eyes and imagine playing putt-putt golf. You played when you were a kid, but there aren't exactly tons of courses close to the city, so it's been a while. Still, you remember: the colorful balls, the tiny pencils to keep score with, the fanciful courses with themes like pirates or dinosaurs. Now, imagine you can combine all of that with your love of booze. Because really, what goes better together than alcohol and golf clubs? Erm, we'll get to this later. more ›

Neither Mozart nor Hockey Themed Washington works hard to burnish its dining credentials. D.C. fat cats who are literally fat need somewhere to eat, and they're not going to throw down lobbyist dollars for just any slop. No. D.C. is a dining destination, beckoning the up-and-coming chefs and their myriad foodie followers. People are noticing, too. From the New York Times to the National Geographic Traveler, we're a getting noticed -- enough so that a... more ›

>> "Hundreds of guests at the Washington Plaza Hotel were evacuated this morning after smoke filled the hotel's basement because of an overheated sump pump." [WaPo] >> "The greens at East Potomac Golf Course are looking more brown these days due to a mix up by a government contractor who mistook herbicide for fertilizer." [WJLA] >> "Sajani Shakya, a 10-year-old Nepalese girl who jeopardized her status as a “living goddess” by traveling to the... more ›

While every animal, no matter how ugly or useless, has its defenders, no one seems to like Canada Geese. And better yet, everyone seems to want them dead. The Post is reporting today that some 600 Canada Geese that have long called Anacostia Park their home may soon be killed, due to their tendency to eat vital marsh grasses and then defecate in the already-polluted river. In a hearing last week held by the National... more ›

Before last night the Florida Panthers had beaten the Capitals five straight times. In those five meetings, the Panthers were struggling to make the playoffs. Last night was Florida's first game since their elimination from playoff contention, and their lack of motivation showed from the start. The Capitals, possibly by accident, capitalized on their lackadaisical opposition to claim a meaningless victory over their fellow non-competitors. Alexander Ovechkin scored his forty-fourth goal of the season on... more ›

We mentioned it in the morning roundup, but it's worth celebrating this news with a post of its own: D.C. is getting a golf tournament. And not just any golf tournament! No, as the Post reports, we've somehow lucked into hosting a new PGA Tour event put on by the Tiger Woods Foundation. The Post sports folks are beside themselves — both Boswell and Wilbon have columns today rhapsodizing about the new event. We can't... more ›

Morning, fair DCist readers. How was your weekend? Did you do any of the numerous activities in the area, like the homeless walkathon, or celebrating an elephant's fifth birthday? Did you go on a fruitless hunt for the elusive Wii? Or perhaps you got married in a Roman castle? You could have signed with the Cubs for $136 million! Whatever you did, we hope it was excellent. The start of this week seems to... more ›

Forgetful drivers be warned -- this is not the week to not wear your seatbelt. The Metropolitan Police Department has announced that through June 4 they will be stepping up enforcement of the city's seatbelt laws, violations of which can result in a $50 fine and two points on your license. The District Department of Transportation has reported that seatbelt usage in the District stands at 89 percent -- leaving 11 percent of drivers... more ›