Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam and Scotland’s Mhairi McKay just missed out on the chance of winning the third major championship of the year and making it a European hat-trick of majors in 2003 after a dramatic day at the US Women’s Open at Pumpkin Ridge GC in Oregon.
Sorenstam bogeyed the final hole to miss out on joining three Americans – Kelly Robbins, Angela Stanford and Hilary Lunke – all of whom tied on one under par 283 and head into today’s 18-hole play-off for the title.
McKay couldn’t get anything going during Sunday and the tournament she lead by four shots at halfway, slipped from her grasp, eventually tying for sixth place. It was her third top-seven finish in five US Opens and consolation was some valuable Solheim Cup points for September’s matches.
But it was Robbins, owner of one of the smoothest and most natural swings in Women’s golf, who made a tilt at her first US Open title with a final round two under par 69 in difficult playing conditions after beginning the round six shots back from Lunke.
The 33-year-year-old will begin as hot favourite for the title and will look to add to her only major win in 1995 and reach double figures in victories.
Stanford holed a 20-foot putt for a birdie at the last for a 74, while Lunke stumbled in with a 75. Stanford, 25 and in her third season on Tour, won her first title last weekend in Atlantic City, while Lunke had never even finished higher than 15th in two years as a professional.
Best of the other Europeans was Suzann Pettersen from Norway, who closed with a top ten finish and Patricia Meunier Lebouc finished in 13th spot.
Collated final-round scores (*-amateur, Par 71, USA unless stated): (18-hole playoff will begin on Monday)
283 Angela Stanford 70 70 69 74, Kelly Robbins 74 69 71 69, Hilary Lunke 71 69 68 75 284 Annika Sorenstam 72 72 67 73 285 *-Aree Song 70 73 68 74 286 Jeong Jang (Kor) 73 69 69 75, Mhairi McKay (Gbr) 66 70 75 75 287 Juli Inkster 69 71 74 73 288 Rosie Jones 70 72 73 73 289 Suzann Pettersen 76 69 69 75, Grace Park (Kor) 72 76 73 68 290 Donna Andrews 69 72 72 77 292 Natalie Gulbis 73 69 72 78, Rachel Teske 71 73 72 76, Lorena Ochoa (Mex) 71 75 72 74, Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (Fra) 73 69 74 76, Laura Diaz 71 71 74 76, Cristie Kerr 72 73 73 74, Jennifer Rosales 74 69 76 73 293 Beth Daniel 73 69 77 74, Yuri Fudoh 74 72 75 72 294 Christina Kim 74 74 72 74, Lorie Kane 73 75 73 73, Catriona Matthew (Gbr) 74 70 76 74, Leta Lindley 73 69 77 75 295 Paula Marti 71 76 76 72, Dorothy Delasin 79 70 76 70, Danielle Ammaccapane 74 74 73 74, Kelli Kuehne 72 74 75 74 296 *-Elizabeth Janangelo 75 73 73 75, Ashli Bunch 71 73 77 75, Mi Hyun Kim (Kor) 73 73 73 77, Annette DeLuca 71 73 78 74, *-Jane Park 76 73 74 73 297 *-Candy Hannemann 75 69 73 80, Giulia Sergas (Ita) 70 74 79 74, Kirsty Taylor 71 75 73 78, Stephanie Louden 71 74 77 75 298 Michele Redman 71 74 74 79, *-Michelle Wie 73 73 76 76 299 Heather Bowie 76 71 72 80, Karen Stupples 71 75 72 81 300 Becky Morgan 72 77 75 76, Beth Bauer 75 73 76 76, Jamie Hullett 71 76 77 76, Karen Weiss 74 74 78 74, Emilee Klein 73 75 74 78, Hee-Won Han (Kor) 79 69 74 78 301 Sherri Turner 73 75 72 81 302 Se Ri Pak 77 72 71 82 303 *-Leigh Ann Hardin 75 68 86 74, Alison Nicholas (Gbr) 75 67 81 80 304 *-Morgan Pressel 70 78 78 78 305 Suzanne Strudwick (Gbr) 72 73 83 77, Michele Vinieratos (Ger) 75 74 76 80 306 Yu Ping Lin (Kor) 73 75 76 82 307 *-Mollie Fankhauser 77 72 80 78 308 *-Irene Cho 71 75 75 87 309 Mardi Lunn 74 72 82 81
