Mallon gains wire to wire victory

First the U.S. Women's Open, and now the Canadian -- Meg Mallon is running out of national championships to win this season.

"Well, I've got France and England next," Mallon said with a chuckle on Sunday, referring to the Evian Masters and British Women's Open, the next two events on her schedule.

And anything seems possible with the run she's on.

A week after winning the U.S. Open, Mallon completed her North American double with a bogey-free, final-round 2-under 70 at Legends on the Niagara Battlefield course, finishing at 18-under 270 and claiming the first-place prize of $195,000.

Defending champion Beth Daniel finished second, four strokes back, after shooting a final-round 70. Jean Bartholomew (69) and Lorena Ochoa (70) finished in a tie for third at 276.

Mallon won her 17th career event and became the first woman to win both U.S. and Canadian titles in the same year. And her 18 under matched a tournament record for lowest score, set by Brandie Burton in 1998 at Windsor, Ontario.

She also became only the third U.S. Open champion to win an LPGA event the following week, joining Se Ri Pak, who did it in 1998 and Jane Geddes in 1986. Louise Suggs also won back-to-back events in 1952, but that's when the All-America Women's Open was held six weeks after the U.S. Open.

"This has been my 18th year on tour and it's been such a rewarding career, but I've never had two weeks like this," Mallon said. "It's going to take a while to absorb. It's been incredible. I don't know what to say."

Mallon has been on a roll since shooting a final round 6-under 65 to win her second U.S. Open at South Hadley, Mass., last weekend. She's now 28 under in her last six rounds, including first- and third-round 65s this past week.

Mallon had built up such a lead, opening the day four strokes ahead of Daniel, that the toughest task was staying focused.

"It was quite a challenge inside this little head of mine all day," Mallon said.

Mallon endured what for her was a sloppy round by leaning heavily on her sharp putting stroke.

She made a 5-footer for par on No. 2. Then, on the par-3 third, Mallon hit a 9-footer on a sloped green -- the ball rolling in from the side -- to stay even. She also saved par with a 4-footer on the 16th after being forced to lay up when her tee shot went into the rough.

"When you're on a roll like Meg is, those things go in your favor," Daniel said. "But she did exactly what she had to do, and it was never a contest."

What impressed Daniel more was Mallon winning back-to-back events.

"More power to her," Daniel said. "It was impressive some of the things that she did out there today."

Mallon's birdies came with a 15-foot putt on No. 5 and an 8-footer on No. 8.

No one could make a dent.

Daniel, earning her first top-10 finish in 11 events this season, had an up-and-down round. After bogeying out of the rough on No. 4, she responded with birdies at Nos. 6, 7 and 16.

It wasn't nearly enough for Daniel or the other players chasing Mallon.

"It didn't happen in the front, so I knew I wasn't going to get closer to Meg," Ochoa said. "I wish there were more holes."

Except for her two bogeys in the second round, Mallon has shot par or better in 95 of her last 97 holes, dating to the third round of the U.S. Open. She became the fourth player to win an LPGA event leading wire-to-wire this season.

It was the first time Mallon has won consecutive events, and she became the first to do so since Candie Kung won the Wachovia LPGA Classic and State Farm Classic last August. For Mallon, it was also her third Canadian title to go along with wins in 2000 and '02, matching Pat Bradley, who won the tournament a record three times in the 1980s.

With $1.002 million in winnings, Mallon is second to Annika Sorenstam on the money list.

Dawn Coe-Jones (71) and Lorie Kane (68) were the top Canadians, finishing at 277 in a tie for fifth in a tournament that hasn't had a native champion since Jocelyne Bourassa won the inaugural event in 1973.

Jamie Hullett's 67 was the low score of the day, moving her into a tie for seventh with Wendy Ward (69) at 278.

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