01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 28, 2006

NEWPORT -- The last time the U.S. Open came to New England, native daughter Meg Mallon made a little magic.

The year was 2004 at the Orchards in South Hadley, Mass. Mallon, a native of Natick, Mass., won the title in her home state by shooting a 6-under 65 on Sunday for a two-stroke win. It was Mallon's second Women's Open title and a record for a final round in the Open. Her first Open win came in 1991 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. The 13-year span between the first and last Open title is the longest in championship history, and the sizzling 65 is the lowest final-round score by a Women's Open champion. A red-hot putter proved to pave the way to the win, including a 30-footer at the 14th hole. "The hole was like a bucket," Mallon said.

The last two years haven't gone as smoothly for the 43-year old. Last year, her only top-10 finish came in a tie for seventh at the Jaime Farr Classic. This year, she's struggling badly. In seven events, Mallon has made just two cuts, with her best finish coming last weekend in Rochester (T-22).

What's the problem with the LPGA Hall of Famer? Is she too old, her game no longer measuring up to the hot shot youngsters who seem to be taking over the game?

True fans know not to count her out. Consider the 2005 Solheim Cup matches. Mallon posted a 2-0-1 record to help lead the U.S. team to victory. She sank the putt to clinch the cup in a match against Karen Stupples. In eight Solheim Cups, the battle-tested Mallon has scored the most points of any U.S. player.

Soon after the Cup win, Mallon was taken to a hospital in Indianapolis and treated for a rapid heart rate. Mallon's heart rate increased to as many as 290 beats per minute and she was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, a cardiac rhythm disturbance that results in a racing heartbeat. The symptoms are easily treated, but Mallon has clearly struggled and is no longer considered a top 25 player.

If Mallon's career highlights are complete, she'll be remembered as a great winner. In 2003, she won the season-ending ADT Championship and shot a 60 in the Welch's/Fry's Championship, one shot off the Tour's all-time record of 59 set by Annika Sorenstam in 2001. Her best year may have come in 2000 when she won the du Maurier Classic, one of the LPGA's four major championships, tied for second at the U.S. Open and posted three consecutive runner-up finishes at the Women's British Open, Oldsmobile Classic and First Union Betsy King Classic. In 1991, she became one of six women to win the LPGA Championship and U.S. Women's Open in the same year.

-- KEVIN McNAMARA