alison nicholas entered the final round with a three stroke lead and shot an even-par 71 to win her only major title, one stroke ahead of runner-up nancy lopez. in the final pairing, lopez slid a downhill birdie putt past the 72nd hole while nicholas sank a three-footer (0.9 m) for par to win at 274 (−10). lopez, age 40 and in search of the title that eluded her, was the first-ever player to shoot four rounds in the 60s in the u.s. women's open.