Ten Years After

Creamer (left) struggled in her bid to claim her first major, while Alfredsson came up short in her attempt for No. 2. Photos: J.D. Cuban, Darren Carroll

For the young American duo in the final pairing, it was a discouraging day that had started with such hope. Both Lewis and Creamer stumbled home in 78 strokes, with Creamer shooting 41 on the front nine to Lewis' 40. "You learn from these," a dejected but composed Creamer said. "Honestly it was not my day. Inbee played awesome. It's probably the most disappointed I've been in a long time."

The 43-year-old Alfredsson, who won her lone major title at the 1993 Nabisco Dinah Shore, was done in by a nervous stroke on the greens. Beside No. 3, the scene of the missed 18-incher, she three-putted four other times. "It was a tough day," said Alfredsson about the playing conditions. "Everybody was losing shots, except of course the one I played with. I was very impressed with [Inbee's] composure. She was very calm. Never changed anything. And really that's impressive for a 19-year-old."

Park's 71 -- in wind gusts that topped 25 miles per hour -- was bettered by only two players, Sergas (70) and 15-year-old amateur Jessica Korda (69). It was also at least two strokes better than anyone else who played in the final nine twosomes. She put the tournament away with three consecutive clutch putts: 10 feet for birdie on No. 11, six feet to save par on No. 12 and 10 feet for birdie on No. 13. Park needed only 26 putts Sunday and just 115 for the week, second-best in the field.

By comparison, Alfredsson used 35 putts in the final round and 128 for the week, while Annika Sorenstam, playing in her last U.S. Women's Open, needed 127 (but none on the 72nd hole, where she slam-dunked a 6-iron from 199 yards for an eagle).

When players took a look at the steeply contoured Donald Ross greens early in the week they predicted the worst, most saying the winning score would be over par. But play began Thursday in perfect scoring conditions, especially in the morning when a canopy of clouds held down the heat and kept the fairways and greens soft. The scores were surprisingly low with 32 players under par, led by Ji Young Oh and Pat Hurst at 67.

Angela Park made the biggest move in the second round, shooting a 67 that gave her the 36-hole lead at six-under-par 140, one stroke better than Minea Blomqvist, Inbee Park and Alfredsson. Championship favorite Lorena Ochoa, clearly drained emotionally after two deaths in her family (an uncle and her grandfather) in a matter of weeks, was seven strokes back. She would finish T-31, her worst finish in 36 tournaments dating back to the 2007 Fields Open.

On the strength of a 67 powered by only 23 putts, the 23-year-old Lewis grabbed the 54-hole lead, one stroke ahead of Creamer.

But with the stage set for a Sunday shootout between Lewis and Creamer, Inbee Park stole the show. It was a scene she had been preparing for since moving to Florida at age 12 to study golf with an instructor she knew from Korea. Her amateur career was sensational, including victories in the 2002 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship and runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2005. She was a semifinalist in the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and was defeated by eventual winner Tseng in the semifinals of the 2004 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links. She won nine AJGA tournaments and was a five-time Rolex Junior All-American. In a championship where so many winners made the U.S. Open their first LPGA victory (including Jane Geddes, Laura Davies, Liselotte Neumann, Sorenstam and Pak), Park's triumph seemed to befit the event.