SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Merely a bystander during so many great moments in women’s golf, Meg Mallon celebrated one of her own Sunday in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Mallon had the lowest final round by a champion in the 59-year history of the Women’s Open, a 6-under 65 that allowed her to erase a three-shot deficit against Jennifer Rosales and leave Annika Sorenstam in a hopeless pursuit to catch her.

Not even the best in women’s golf stood a chance on a steamy day at Orchard Golf Club.

Mallon finished at 10-under 274 for a two-shot victory over Sorenstam. It was her fourth career major, and she earned $560,000 from the richest purse in women’s golf.

Thirteen years after she won the Women’s Open at Colonial in scorching heat, Mallon again blistered the field by avoiding bogey over the final 25 holes and riding a hot putter that showed up just in time. She made a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 4 to gain momentum and an 18-footer that curled in on the 11th hole to take the lead for good.

The last of her 24 putts in the final round was a tap-in for par that set off a wild celebration with her family.

“The cup looked like a bucket, and it was a great day for that to happen,” Mallon said.

Mallon, born in Massachusetts and beloved by all, has been privy to some magical moments on the LPGA Tour over the last several years.

She played with Sorenstam when the Swede became the first woman to shoot 59. She was with Juli Inkster when she won the LPGA Championship to complete the career Grand Slam. She played with Dottie Pepper at the Nabisco when she set the LPGA major championship scoring record at 19 under par.

This time, she made history of her own.

The 13-year gap between Women’s Open wins is the largest in history. And the final round was one for the ages, breaking by one shot the previous best round by an Open champion, set by Juli Inkster two years ago at Prairie Dunes.

Just like then, Sorenstam was the runner-up by two shots and wondered what hit her.

She birdied the final two holes for a 4-under 67 that made Mallon to play hard to the very end, but she still had to settle for the consolation prize.

Kelly Robbins was the main challenger on the back nine until a bogey on the 15th. Robbins, who lost in a three-way playoff last year at Pumpkin Ridge, closed with a 69 and finished third.

Rosales made her first bogey at No. 7 and quickly fell apart. Starting the final round with a three-shot lead, she closed with a 75 and finished fourth.

The teenagers never had a chance, but they put on a good show.

Fourteen-year-old Michelle Wie of Hawaii and 17-year-old Paula Creamer tied for low amateur at 1-over 285. They finished in a tie for 13th, making them exempt for next year’s Open at Cherry Hills in Denver.

Ames gets first PGA Tour victory at Western Open

LEMONT, Ill. – The ball dropped into the cup and a wide grin broke across Stephen Ames’ face.

Finally. After all these years, it’s great to be a champion.

Ames won his first career PGA Tour victory at the Western Open on Sunday, shooting a 70 to finish at 10-under 274 and beat Steve Lowery by two strokes.

As fans gave the beaming Ames a standing ovation, his two young sons stood patiently at the edge of the 18th green. After hugging his caddie and shaking hands with his playing partners, Ames crouched down and the boys ran into his arms.

Northwestern alum and local favorite Luke Donald (67) and Mark Hensby (73) were three strokes back. Stuart Appleby (72) and Geoff Ogilvy (73) were four shots behind Ames in fifth.

Tiger Woods began the day with a chance to get his first stroke-play victory of the year, just four shots off the lead. But he couldn’t get his putts to fall, leaving several birdie chances within inches of the hole, and didn’t make his first birdie until the 15th hole. He shot an even-par 71, and finished tied for seventh.

Thorpe repeats winner at Long Island Classic

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – Jim Thorpe capped a 3-under 67 with an 18-foot par putt Sunday and beat three players by one stroke at the Long Island Classic, making him the first player this year on the Champions Tour to defend a title.

Thorpe, 55, won for the second time this year and the ninth time on the tour.

He won the Farmers Charity Classic last month.

His 9-under 201 total was one shot in front of Bobby Wadkins (70), Andy Bean (67) and Wayne Levi (68).

Thorpe entered the final round four shots behind leader Jerry Pate but made three birdies on the front nine. His first bogey of the day came on the par-3 16th, but he followed that with an up-and-down birdie on the par-5 17th.

On the par-4 18th he hit his second shot short and right in deep rough. His chip went past the hole but he made the par putt.

Wadkins, who won this event in 2001, birdied 17 with a 6-foot putt to tie Thorpe. He hit his second shot on 18 in almost the same place as Thorpe and his chip also went well past the hole. However, he missed the par putt.

Levi had a chance to tie Thorpe on the final hole but his birdie putt from the fringe just slid past the cup. Levi fell to the ground in anguish as the ball just slid by.

Bean also birdied 17 to get to 8 under. He missed a chance to tie for the lead when he missed a birdie putt from about 9 feet on 18.

Pate, who entered the final round of a tournament with a lead for the first time since 1981, had a 3-over 73. He had one bogey over the first 36 holes and made four in a front-nine 39 on Sunday.

Thorpe won this event last year with a 15-under total that included a second-round 60 that matched the Champions Tour record.

Thorpe joins George Archer, Lee Trevino and Bruce Fleischer as two-time winners of the Long Island Classic. All four won in consecutive years.

The tournament is sponsored by Commerce Bank.

Divots: Jim Dent had a hole-in-one on the 211-yard 13th and Bruce Lietzke had one on the 178-yard 16th, the first ones of this tournament and the sixth and seventh on tour this season. There were three aces in last year’s Long Island Classic. … The next stop is the Ford Senior Players Championship, the second of five majors on the Champions Tour. Craig Stadler is the defending champion. … Peter Jacobsen, playing competitively for the first time since arthroscopic hip surgery in April, closed with a 71 for a 1-under 209. He was a first-round co-leader with a 64 and had a 74 on Saturday.

AP-ES-07-04-04 1612EDT