U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN Sorenstam's misfire sets up three-way playoff round

She had a chance to win outright, but bogeyed No. 18.
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam was in the middle of the 18th fairway, 236 yards from the hole, one swing away from ending the U.S. Women's Open.
The tournament only ended for her.
Poised to win her second straight major championship, Sorenstam hit a 4-wood into the trees, chopped a wedge into the bunker and ended her bid at Pumpkin Ridge with a shocking bogey that kept her out of the three-way playoff.
"It's going to take a while to recover from this," Sorenstam said Sunday.
More to come
It will take one more round to decide whether Kelly Robbins, Angela Stanford or Hilary Lunke captures the most prestigious championship in women's golf.
Robbins birdied two of the last three holes to close with a 2-under 69, a spectacular score on a day when only two other women broke par.
Lunke made six bogeys in a round of 75, but kept her composure and had a chance to win with a 15-foot birdie putt that was right on line but came short.
The surprise was Stanford, a forgotten figure on the back nine of the Witch Hollow course until she willed herself to hit three good shots, and stunned everyone with a slick, downhill birdie putt from 20 feet that fell in the center of the cup.
"It was one of the coolest moments I've ever had on the golf course," Stanford said after closing with a 74.
Opportunity knocks
They finished at 1-under 283 and were to face at least 18 holes today, the first playoff in the U.S. Women's Open since Se Ri Pak won at Blackwolf Run in 1998, and the first involving three women since Laura Davies beat JoAnne Carner and Ayako Okamoto in 1987.
All of them were thrilled to have the opportunity.
None of them expected to be there, not with Sorenstam having placed herself in position to win with a 30-foot par putt on No. 14, an approach that landed between the bunkers and rolled to 4 feet for birdie on No. 15, and the big drive on No. 18 to set up a possible birdie.
Who better to pull off the dramatic conclusion?
Sorenstam knows how to win majors, having proved that anew last month with a clutch par in a playoff to capture the LPGA Championship.
She's not perfect.
"The fact you have the chance to win the U.S. Open coming up the 18th ... if you're not nervous, you're not human," Stanford said. "I'm sure she was nervous."
Poor shot
Sorenstam wanted to play a fade into the green, to keep away from deep hollow to the left that collects any shot just slightly off target. Instead, her 4-wood sailed into the trees, next to a fence surrounding the portable toilets and behind the large scoreboard.
"I was expecting her to have a decent shot at birdie," Lunke said. "You've always got to anticipate that. You're playing against the best player in the world, she's going to make birdie. And you have to match her."
USGA officials moved the gallery to find Sorenstam's nearest place of relief. She dropped on a baked, thin piece of turf, more dirt than grass.
"I didn't expect the ball to shoot so high, and it hit a branch and then it went in the bunker," Sorenstam said.
Her last chance was a 15-foot par putt, but it was a tentative stroke that turned below the cup by a couple of inches.
Robbins played the hole better than anyone, belting a 3-wood that never left its line, stopping 25 feet below the hole for a chance to make eagle. Her hands were shaking for the first time all week, and her putt was a good effort, just a little short.
Still, she gets a chance to win her second major, and her first title of any kind in more than four years. Not bad for someone who started the round six shots behind.
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