By Alex Miceli

Newport, R.I. - Pat Hurst could never find the rhythm she had over the prior three days at Newport Country Club, losing to Annika Sorenstam in a lopsided four-shot defeat Monday.

It was the third largest deficit in Women’s Open playoff history, also the third playoff loss to Sorenstam in Hurst’s career.

Hurst’s loss might have been easy to predict as early as the par-5 first hole. She came up just short of the green on her third shot and would eventually take three more to get up and down as Sorenstam made the first of her three birdies on the day.

It would never get closer than that. After leading the championship with 16 birdies coming in to the playoff, the 37-year-old Hurst could only make a consolation 40-foot putt off the green on the 18^th hole for her only red number.

"It makes it tough, but I knew there were a lot of holes left," said Hurst of the 3-foot missed putt on the sixth hole that extended Sorenstam’s lead to four shots. "When I missed that short one, that kind of set me back a little bit more. I think that kind of was the hurting point right there."

Sorenstam would play her traditional conservative game and Hurst could never respond. She looked worn out from Sunday’s 36-hole marathon. Nearly every putt came up short on the front nine, which assisted in her carding a 4-over-par 39.

"The competitive juices weren’t flowing as much as they were yesterday," said Hurst. "We did play 36, and to play a three- or six-hole sudden death type of deal, I think that would have been better."

Hurst may have been living on borrowed time with her putter.  Her 1.53 average tied her for first in putting with Stacy Prammanasudh for the championship. But her prowess with the flat stick was contrary to what she had shown on the LPGA Tour this year, where she is ranked 100^th in putting and 34^th in greens-in-regulation putting average.

In the Monday playoff, Hurst had 32 over 18 holes for statistical purposes, but her birdie on the 18^th was not considered a putt since it was off the green.

"I couldn’t get the ball to the hole," said Hurst of her putting woes. "And that was the frustrating thing for me because I’m generally a pretty aggressive putter, and when you can’t get them to the hole, you obviously can’t make anything."

Hurst took an 0-3 playoff record into Monday. Ironically, she lost twice to Sorenstam - in the 1997 ITT LPGA Tour Championship and the 2000 Welch’s/Circle K Championship. 

Hurst credited Sorenstam after her first major playoff defeat, the worst playoff loss since Kathy Cornelius defeated amateur Barbara McIntire by seven shots in the 1956 Women’s Open at the Northland C.C. at Duluth, Minn.

"The more times I can put myself in position, it’s going to happen one day," said Hurst. "You know, one day." 

Alex Miceli is a freelance writer whose work has appeared previously on www.uswomensopen.com.