Terry-Jo Myers, back from a living nightmare that at its darkest moment pushed her to the brink of suicide, walked triumphantly to the 18th green, tears streaming down her face as the fans in the gallery cheered.
Few of them realized what a special victory it was.The Los Angeles Women's Championship was Myers' first LPGA win in nine years. But it was much more than that.
It was a moment of more personal triumph for Myers, who has lived much of the past 13 years with an agonizingly painful disease of the bladder, interstitial cystitis.
Although there is no cure, Myers two years ago began using a new drug that cleared her symptoms.
Realizing that she was on her way to winning Sunday at Oakmont Country Club, Myers began to cry on the 16th hole, recalling all her years of pain and frustration.
"My emotion is not about going so long without a win; it's connected more with overcoming a very serious disease and actually being able to win again," she said."That's what the emotion is about, staying out here and playing.
"I'm very proud of myself."
She won in dramatic fashion, shooting her second consecutive 6-under-par 66 to rally from five shots behind and beat one of the tour's most dominant players, Annika Sorenstam, by two shots.
In the press room a half-hour after finishing her round, Myers still had to pause to wipe away tears as she recalled her lengthy ordeal. She explained that she considered giving up on golf "and a lot of other things," including her life.
She was determined to commit suicide at one point four years ago, Myers said.
"I had a knife out in the kitchen and I walked into my daughter's room and looked into her eyes, " she said, stopping for a moment to regain her voice. "I couldn't leave her without a mother."
Daughter Taylor-Jo is seven now.
A national spokeswoman for the Interstitial Cystitis Association who has spoken before the U.S. Senate to try to raise funds for research, Myers was lucky that the new drug, Elmiron, relieved her symptoms.
She was allowed to begin treatment with the drug two years ago, and it was cleared for general use by the FDA last year, although, she noted, it's successful only in 38 to 40 percent of patients.
Myers said the disease made it necessary for her to go to the bathroom some 60 times a day and 20 times a night, and each time there was pain similar to paper cuts being struck by acidic fluid.
"I learned how to play in pain, how to hit a shot and try to get to the next bathroom," she explained. "The only other time I won, in 1988, there were rain delays, and that gave me time."
Myers finished at 10-under to win for just the second time in her 12 years on the tour. The winner's check of $97,500 was $20,000 more than she previously had won in any entire year.
But all that was secondary to her.
"I'm most proud of overcoming obstacles," she said. "I could have finished second and be just as happy."
Sorenstam, who spoke in the interview room before Myers, was unaware of Myers's struggles with the disease, but she was pleased for her nevertheless.
"I'm happy for her. It's nice to see someone so emotional about it," said Sorenstam, a most gracious runner-up.
A group tied for third at 5-under included Donna Andrews, Kelly Robbins, Ellie Gibson, Catrin Nilsmark and Alicia Dibos.