By HOWARD WARD

Peggy Kirk Bell was stunned when USGA officials announced that the U.S. Women’s Open would be returning to her Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club for a third time in 2007.

The surprise wasn’t so much that the Open was coming back as it was the timing of the announcement. It came on Saturday night following the marathon third round when most of the golfers had to complete their rain-delayed second round in the morning.

Cora Jane Blanchard, chairman of the USGA Women’s Committee, was speaking at a gala tribute to Bell at the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst when turned to her and asked, "What are you guys doing in 2007?"

"I didn’t hear what she said at first," Bell said later. "I’m kinda deaf and I asked what she said. It shocked the heck out of me that they would announce it that night."

Although the goal of setting an attendance record was thwarted by the inclement weather early in the week and on Friday, the 56th U.S. Women’s Open Championship was otherwise a tremendous success. The course was immaculate, even after the Friday deluge that suspended play. And the Pinehurst Championship Management team, headed by Reg Jones, had every detail honed to perfection.

There were 150 golfers in the field that showed up to challenge the golf course that Donald Ross built. But only one was able to conquer it.

Karrie Webb threw her hands up in jubilation after sinking a 20-foot putt on the 72nd hole to win her second straight Women’s Open. And well should she have. Only she was under par when four rounds had been completed. And then there was that $520,000 check to be deposited.

This was an Open Championship with a little of everything except a duel in the sun. That wasn’t Webb’s fault, of course. She simply went out and played brilliant golf while everyone else was busy trying to figure out what Ross meant to accomplish with those devilish turtleback greens.

The biggest disappointment – and maybe the only one – of the week was the lackluster performance turned in by Annika Sorenstam. The Swedish star came into Southern Pines riding the hottest streak in professional golf. And she left wondering where her game had gone unable to break par in a single round

Sorenstam finished at 287, 15 shots higher than the U.S. Open record 272 she shot in winning at Pine Needles in 1996.

"I’m very disappointed," she said. "This is not the outcome that I wanted or dreamed about. I don’t really know what to say. I need to go home and try to figure out what went wrong."

Meanwhile, Webb had her game on cruise control. She breezed through the first round with a 70, then got a tremendous break on Friday with an early tee time. The morning start allowed her to complete a 5-under-par 65 and rest that afternoon while 105 less fortunate golfers were caught by thunderstorms and forced to complete their rounds on Saturday. Many of them had to play 36 holes, with play beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at 8:11 on Saturday night.

"The round on Friday set up the tournament for me," Webb said.

Whether it was fatigue or just too much Donald Ross, no one was able to mount a charge strong enough to challenge Webb.

Se Ri Pak did manage to close within three shots after four holes of the final round, but then had all she could do to just stay ahead of Dottie Pepper for the runner-up check. Six bogeys more than offset the four birdies Pak could muster in a round of 72.

Webb proved she knows how to close in style, holing a sand wedge chip from 40 feet on the 17th hole, then rapping home a 20-foot crowd-pleasing putt on the 18th before a cheering throng of fans. Her round of 69 fell a stroke short of Sorenstam’s record 272, but the eight-shot victory margin tied the Open record.

Webb’s great play and Sorenstam’s lack of the same were a huge story, but a pregnant women, a teen queen, Peggy Kirk Bell and Donald Ross were just as newsworthy.

Brenda Corrie Kuehn, an amateur from Asheville, drew national attention by playing while more than eight months pregnant. She didn’t make the cut with rounds of 79-84, but certainly had her moment in the sun.

Morgan Pressel, who set history by being the youngest player to qualify for an Open at 12, turned 13 just before the championship. While her pair of 77s didn’t threaten anyone, she drew some of the largest galleries of the week and delighted everyone with her teeny-bopper expressions.

Mrs. Bell was everywhere, making everyone feel like someone special. If she had charged for autographs, she could buy another Donald Ross golf course to go with Pine Needles and Mid Pines.

But, perhaps the brightest star of them all was the man whose genius was on display in a national championship once again – Donald Ross.

It is no accident that the two U.S. Women’s Opens held at Pine Needles have been won by the two best women golfers in the world. That’s why the USGA has no qualms about bringing the event back for a third run in 2007.

Grace Park, one of the rising stars on the LPGA tour said, "It kicked my butt. You have to concentrate on every shot."

But Webb, as was fitting, probably summed it up best.

"Thank you for having us here this week," she said. "We have a fabulous golf course to play the biggest tournament in women’s golf. I feel very honored not only to defend the U.S. Open championship, but to win it here at Pine Needles, a course that Peggy Kirk Bell can be proud of."