"When she made a putt, they were screaming," Park said. "So I really could not sleep."

Two days later, Park placed her tiny hands around a golf club for the first time.

On Sunday, the two-time Nevada prep state champion at Bishop Gorman wrapped her hands around the biggest trophy in women's golf, winning the U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen with bogey-free golf over the final 10 holes as everyone else melted away.

Two weeks shy of her 20th birthday, Park gained her first professional victory and replaced Pak as the youngest Women's Open champion. She pulled away with crucial putts on three straight holes -- two birdies and one par -- early on the back nine and added a final birdie for a 2-under 71 and a four-shot victory over Helen Alfredsson.

Park was the only player in the final nine groups to break par. She finished at 9-under 283 and earned $585,000, then got soaked at the end of a sunny afternoon when Jeong Jang and I.K. Kim rushed onto the green and doused her with beer.

"Really, I can't believe I just did this, especially with all these big names on the trophy that have been very, very successful," Park said, gazing at the silver championship trophy. "Hopefully I'll put a couple of my names on there. It will be great."

Park attended Bishop Gorman as a junior and senior and won the Class 4A state tournament both years. She turned pro in April 2006 and joined the LPGA Tour last year, with her best finish being a tie for second in the Safeway Classic.

Alfredsson began the final round tied with Park, two shots out of the lead and hopeful she could finally atone for her collapse 14 years ago in the Women's Open, took 35 putts in her final round of 75.

"She played fantastic," said Alfredsson, who played with Park. "She was very calm, never changed anything. And really, that's very impressive for a 19-year-old. She's going to win a lot more."

Stacy Lewis, trying to become the first player to win a major in her professional debut, made double bogey from 80 yards in front of the green on the par-5 second hole and staggered home to a 78 to tie for third at 288.

"I finished third at the U.S. Open, my first pro event," Lewis said. "It's kind of hard to be upset."

Paula Creamer, who started the final round one shot behind Lewis and said her experience of six LPGA victories would be a big advantage, made two double bogeys on the front nine for a 41 and scrambled for a 78.

Creamer's final round scoring average in the U.S. Women's Open is 75.2.

"It's probably the most disappointed I've been in a very long time," she said.

No one imagined the only drama on the back nine would come from Annika Sorenstam, who was never in contention competing in her final Women's Open before retirement at the end of the season.

Her final shot was a 6-iron from 199 yards that tumbled into the cup for eagle.

"Leaving with another great memory, that's for sure," Sorenstam said after closing with a 78 to finish 12 shots behind in a tie for 24th. "Maybe not the one I had in mind, but I'll take it."

Such highlights were rare for everyone else.

Park was the only player to break par all four days at Interlachen, a course that showed its strength in the final round with 20 mph wind that made it tough to keep on the right side of the hole.

Park became the third player in the last six years to make the U.S. Women's Open her first LPGA Tour victory, and it was reminiscent of Birdie Kim's victory three years ago at Cherry Hills, minus the dramatic bunker shot for birdie on the 72nd hole.

There were so many possibilities for great story lines going into the final round -- Lewis and her remarkable recovery from back surgery that almost ended her career before she got to college; Creamer, looking poised to finally get a major to go with her marketing campaign; Alfredsson finally hopeful of U.S. Open redemption at 43.

Instead, it was Park who stole the show by simply playing the best golf.

Equipped with a two-shot lead after Lewis bogeyed the eighth and ninth, Park poured it on with a 10-foot birdie on the 11th, saving par from the bunker with an 8-foot putt on No. 12, and a 6-foot birdie on the 13th.

"Everything happened so fast. It's scary," Park said. "I really tried to stay calm, but it was so exciting, I couldn't do it. This is my day."

Park continued international dominance of the LPGA majors, as Americans have won only six of the last 31.

Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, who had finished no worse than third in the last four majors and won two of them, never got on track at Interlachen and closed with a 74 to tie for 31st.

Park's mother, Song Kim, was with her at Interlachen, but her father couldn't make it.

"My dad almost was going to fly to this event, but I'm like, 'No, it's OK. Stay home, you can watch TV.' "

Just like he was doing 10 years ago, only this time watching his daughter become the youngest Open champion.