HUTCHINSON, Kan., July 7 (UPI) -- Juli Inkster put on a pressure-packed putting performance Sunday that sent her storming past Annika Sorenstam and allowed her to grab her second U.S. Women's Open championship in the last four years.
At age 42, Inkster became the second-oldest winner of the most significant event in women's golf and she also turned in the best closing-round score by a winner in the tournament's history.
She shot a 4-under 66, matching the lowest round of the week, and thus won her seventh major title on the same course where she won the first of her three consecutive U.S. Amateur crowns 22 years ago. Only Jack Nicklaus has won a USGA Amateur and Open championship on the same course, having done so at Pebble Beach.
Inkster needed just 25 putts Sunday to work her way around the Prairie Dunes Country Club course, the most significant of them being an 18-footer to save par at the 15th and a 15-footer for birdie at the 16th to all but wrap up the title.
She completed 72 holes at 4-under 276, two shots in front of Sorenstam.
Sorenstam, who was seeking her third U.S. Open title and her seventh victory on the LPGA Tour this year, opened the day with a two-shot lead and shot an even-par 70 on the difficult course. But the steady play of the Swedish superstar was not enough.
Australian Shani Waugh finished alone in third, a distant seven shots behind Inkster. Spain's Raquel Carriedo, who spends most of her time on the European Women's Tour, equaled Inkster's 66 for the low round of the tournament to finish fourth at 284. Se Ri Pak of South Korea was at 285 and Mhairi McKay of Scotland finished at 286.
Inkster thus became the only American to finish in the top six and she is the only United States citizen to have won the U.S. Open in the past eight years. She set a tournament scoring record four years ago to win in what was her 20th appearance at the Open.
She had 35 one-putt greens this week, chipped in twice and did not have a single three-putt on Prairie Dunes' sharply sloping greens.
"Sometimes I just don't know where it is coming from," Inkster said. "My speed on the greens was great this week and I made the putts when I needed to make them. I hope I don't wake up for a while.
"Winning this tournament at any age is tough. At 42, it is a little tougher. But I work hard on my game. I love competing. I have the desire to play well. It's amazing. I stood here 22 years ago with the U.S. Amateur trophy and now I am here with the U.S. Open trophy."
The only player older than Inkster to win this tournament was Babe Zaharias, who did so in 1954 at the age of 43.
Inkster began the day two shots behind Sorenstam and quickly made up that difference by holing a six-foot birdie putt at the second and chipping in from 40 feet at the sixth. She then rolled in a 10-footer for another birdie at the par-5 seventh to take the lead.
Sorenstam, playing in the group behind Inkster, briefly forced a tie at 3-under by making a 15-footer for birdie at the seventh, but when she came up short with her second shot at the par-4 eighth and suffered a bogey, she fell out of the lead for good.
Inkster saved par at the ninth with a six-footer, then birdied the par-4 11th from 10 feet to move to 4-under and open a two-shot advantage.
The key moments came as Inkster and Sorenstam played the difficult three-hole stretch beginning at the 14th.
Sorenstam hit her second shot at the 14th to within six feet and made that putt for birdie to get within one while, up ahead, it appeared Inkster was on the verge of making a bogey. Inkster missed the green with her tee shot at the par-3 15th and ran her chip shot all the way across the putting surface, leaving her with an 18-footer to save par and preserve a one-stroke cushion.
She holed the uphill putt and she pumped her fist to celebrate. Moments later, Inkster made another key putt, a 15-foot downhill effort at the 16th hole, while Sorenstam was in the process of suffering a bogey at the 15th. That left Inkster four shots in front and virtually wrapped up the championship.
Sorenstam suffered another bogey at the 16th while Inkster was making bogey at the 17th to leave the margin at four shots. Sorenstam made a birdie at the par-4 17th, but it was too late.
"Juli just outplayed me," Sorenstam said. "There is nothing I can do. I gave it my all and I'm happy about that."
In addition to two U.S. Open championships, Inkster has won the LPGA Championship twice, the Nabisco Championship twice and the now-defunct DuMaurier Championship, which has been replaced as a major event by the Women's British Open.
Her seven major titles are the most for any active player on the LPGA circuit.
