OK, so today was not the suspenseful affair that we had yesterday, when there was a solid handful of golfers with a chance to win in the final holes. But we do have a great champion, and a classy champion, in Annika Sorenstam. We were lucky to have her playing here in Newport.

It's going to be hard to go back to the office on Wednesday after being out in all this idyllic scenery with so much to write about. Such is life. Thanks for joining us, and pick up tomorrow's Providence Journal for more. Pick up the next day's too. Check out more tournament photos at projo.com. C'est fin.

-Mike McDermott

Pat Hurst says that she would have rather settled her tie with Annika Sorenstam last night, in a three- or six-hole playoff format, rather than coming back today for the full 18 holes.

"I wish we would have played last night," Hurst said. "The competitive juices weren't flowing quite as good today as they were yesterday."

She said her putting, which she felt had been her strongest trait before yesterday, let her down today; she just couldn't get the ball to the hole.

Asked by The Journal's Kevin McNamara what she did last night after her 36 holes of golf, Hurst answered, "I went to McDonald's." She said she tried to call around for takeout, but there was a wait, so she ended up at the fast-food joint.

Hurst was once again gracious today, even as she answered questions that once again sometimes had an edge to them. When someone asked if anyone knew who she was at any of the restaurants where she tried to get takeout, she just laughed and said, "I don't know if they know who I was." But she made it clear that she wasn't one to play the "Don't you know who I am..." card to get faster service.

- Mike McDermott

-Mike McDermott

-Mike McDermott

She did talk about a lot of other things. For example, walking up to the 18th green today alongside Pat Hurst -- Annika waited for Hurst to hit her approach so that they could walk together.

"We walked up to 18 and she said, 'I'm getting gooesebumps.' And I said, 'I agree, this is pretty cool.' "

She was asked about Hurst's 18th-green request for an autograph ball.

"I said, 'God you can ask for anything at any time; why do you have to ask at the 18th hole of the U.S. Open?' "

Sorenstam says this week has been one of the most draining of her career. She says she couldn't practice on Monday because of a sore neck. Then her practice was curtailed on Wednesday because of the poor weather. The best thing that happened to her may have been the fog on Thursday, which gave her the chance to get some extra sleep with a late tee time on Friday. She then got an early tee on Saturday, so she could get some extra rest again before going 36 holes on Sunday.

Still, she said: "I've never grinded so hard in my life. Every shot had a purpose, and every shot had a thought to it."

Annika says she also received encouragement from Tiger Woods, who has called her every day during the tournament.

"He's on vacation, so for him to be watching women's golf says something," Sorenstam said.

-Mike McDermott

Meanwhile, Pat Hurst, who just spoke to the media, said she asked Annika at the end of today's match for a signed ball, like everyone else. She hasn't gotten it yet.

-Mike McDermott

Park called the course "very playable" and said she was sure someone would come up with a better score. Park herself never came close again. Eventual champion Annika Sorenstam did not post a 2-under. In fact, it turned out that Park was wrong -- no one did better than 69. Annika Sorenstam's 1-under par in today's playoff was just the 19th below-par performance of the entire weekend.

The worst score of the weekend was a first-round 89 -- 18 over par -- by American player Nicole Hage.

- Mike McDermott

As if there were any doubt about the outcome of this playoff, Annika Sorenstam made a tremendous approach shot to the 18th green, putting her in a commanding position to make par. Pat Hurst's approach skidded, coming to rest far away from the pin, back at the front edge of a distant fringe.

As the two golfers approached, walking next to each other in their matching canary-yellow polos, the people in the bleachers mostly stood to applaud. Sorenstam and Hurst, who are both gracious people in their own, very different ways, each acknowledged the cheers. People wearing red shirts had carted out a table and some large flower pots to use as props for the Annika coronation ceremony.

Someone screamed Annika's first name, as they have been wont to do here. Then came more yelling: "Great show ladies!" and "Thank you ladies for the great golf!"

Silence again. And then Hurst, who was treated very warmly today by the spectators, gave the people one last thing to cheer about. She made her best shot of the day, a remarkable birdie putt from way back on that fringe -- I'm not sure how far away it is; I'll tell you later. She gave a pump of her fist, then gave her caddie, Dan Wilson, a high five one last time. The crowd went nuts.

Then Annika stepped up for her birdie attempt, which came up maybe 2 feet short. At this point she had a four-stroke advantage. And yet this very precise professional picked up her ball, set it down again, sized up the hole, backed up and sized up the hole some more, even swinging her club a couple of times to get the rhythm. And she made the putt. In celebration, she looked up at the sky, as if exhausted, lifted her club over her shoulders, and stood stone still for a moment. No more questions about droughts.

-Mike McDermott

- Mike McDermott

Annika Sorenstam and Pat Hurst walk together during their 18-hole playoff today, the third playoff in which the two have faced off.

Today, as Sorenstam and Pat Hurst near the finish line, there are not many people gathered in the bleachers or around the ropes that surround the 18th green -- and a lot of the people who are here seem to know each other. Last night as I was going home, a woman from New Jersey was telling me how disappointed she was to be heading home without knowing the winner. If she's watching TV today, she probably feels better about not having extending her stay in the Ocean State.

Back in the press tent, there's no lunch out yet, and the coffee machine is out of order; it's making some strange whirring noises and its lights are flashing.

-Mike McDermott

- Mike McDermott

"The opportunity for us to have the very best women in the world here in Newport, the chance to watch them at a course we all know so well, has been very special," Drennan said today.

He said the highlight of his weekend was the 18th hole yesterday: "Seeing the drama unfold, and then being able to see the golfers explain what happened in the interview room."

Before coaching golf, Drennan was head basketball coach at Roger Williams, and a former basketball assistant coach under Jack Kraft at URI. He's been the Rams' head golf coach since 1988, and he has led them on their current, most impressive streak of 15 straight NCAA Regional tournament appearances.

- Mike McDermott

- Mike McDermott