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Stacy Lewis celebrates her birdie putt on the 14th hole during the third round of the 2008 U.S. Women's Open at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota. Lewis leads by one stroke heading into the final round Sunday.

“Every day, my wife and I just kind of pinch ourselves,” he said. “We never dreamed anything like this would happen. We just wanted her to be normal and not have to wear a brace.”

The final group presents quite the contrast.

Creamer’s family moved her from northern California to Florida to attend a golf academy, and she won her first LPGA Tour title shortly before going through high school graduation.

She has never finished in the top 10 at the U.S. Women’s Open, and has never contended on the back nine of any major. But she might be due, especially in a year where she already has won twice.

Lewis graduated with a degree in finance, and she is hardly an unknown at this U.S. Women’s Open. She tied for fifth at the Kraft Nabisco Championship last year as an amateur, and she was the first-round leader at the Northwest Arkansas Championship last year with a 65. Just her luck, the rest of the tournament was rained out and the scores were wiped from the record books.

“I was in the middle of a big controversy and my name got out there,” Lewis said. “I can say I beat 143 of the best players in the world in one day, so there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Lorena Ochoa was desperate for a quick start to get back in the game, but this isn’t what she had in mind. She played the first four holes in 4 over and wound up with a 76, her highest score of the week, to end her chances. She was at 4-over 223.

“It’s sad to see the tournament go, and now I have to wait one more year,” she said.

Annika Sorenstam probably doesn’t have that luxury. The three-time Open champion is retiring at the end of the year, and she wasted another day filled with birdie opportunities by converting only two of them in a round of 72 that left her seven shots behind.

“I’m about to cry,” she said. “When you do everything you can and then it just doesn’t happen ... I cannot hit the ball any better. I cannot put myself in a better position. And I rally don’t know what to do.

“I’m not giving up. I’m going to tell you that.”