Hilary Lunke rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of a Monday playoff to win the 58th U.S. Women's Open at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club's Witch Hollow course in North Plains, Ore. Lunke shot a 1-under-par 70 in the playoff to outlast Angela Stanford and Kelly Robbins for her first professional victory.

Upon sinking the winning putt, a clearly emotional Lunke reached for the sky, tearing up with elation. She turned, hugging husband and caddie Tylar, Robbins, Stanford and then her sobbing mother, Penny Homeyer, who yelped into her ear, "I can't believe it!" three times.

"I'm still in a state of disbelief," said Lunke, more than an hour after play ended. "I can't believe it happened."

Lunke joined Se Ri Pak as the only other champion to win the U.S. Women's Open with a birdie in a playoff. Pak took the 1998 Women's Open with a birdie on the 20th hole of that year's playoff.

On the verge of completing Monday's 18-hole playoff, Lunke's putt came just after Stanford had electrified the gallery with another must-make - from 25 feet off the face of the green - to put extra pressure on Lunke. Either Lunke made the putt for the win, or she and Stanford would go to another playoff hole.

In Sunday's fourth round, Stanford had to convert on a 20-footer for birdie on the 18th hole to tie Robbins and have a shot at the playoff. She made her putt, but the two still needed Lunke, who had a 15-footer for birdie and the outright victory, to miss her putt.

But Lunke two putted, and the playoff was on. Eighteen holes later on Monday, Lunke had the victory, and the $560,000 winner's check.

Lunke became the first qualifier of any kind to win the Women's Open (qualifying for the event didn't begin until 1976). A 72 at the Aiken, S.C., local qualifier earned her a spot in the Summit, NJ., 36-hole sectional qualifier, at which she nearly bombed with an 80 after the first 18 holes. But shaking off bogey on the first hole of the second 18, she carded a 72 and a place in the championship.

Annika Sorenstam came back from back-to-back rounds of 72 with a 4-under-par 67 in the third round. She remained in contention until the end of Sunday's fourth round, when her approach shot on the par-5, 502-yard 18th hole. After a lengthy delay to discuss the ruling and two drops, Sorenstam chipped into a greenside bunker. She then chipped out to 15 feet but missed her par putt, which left her one stroke out of the playoff.

Defending champion Juli Inkster was tied for second after two rounds, but a third round 74 put a serious dent in her repeat hopes. She finished tied for eighth.