With three holes left in the US Women's Open, Hye-Jin Choi was all set to re-write the record books.
The 17-year-old South Korean was poised to become the second amateur to win the biggest title in women's golf, joining 1967 champion Catherine Lacoste of France.
Quote sheets were handed out featuring the congratulatory words of Lacoste, who is now 72 years old and lives in Spain. Lacoste's father was famed tennis player and sporting goods clothier Rene Lacoste.
Choi was tied with eventual winner Sung Hyun Park, also of South Korea, heading to the par-3 16th, one of the holes that President Donald Trump watched from his personal viewing box.
"I came a long way from Korea and I had the United States president and his wife cheering for me and clapping for me," Choi said through an interpreter. "I was quite thrilled. It was a big honour for me."
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Then, trouble struck. Choi tried to be too perfect with her tee shot on the 139-yard hole and deposited it right into the lake.
"Today, I hit the ball perfectly and I tried to hit that one more perfectly," Choi said.
"When I had a birdie on the 15th hole, I thought that I may have a chance. That went through my mind and other people were saying that I might have a chance, but at the 16th hole, my ball went into the hazard.
"At the time I felt that all this work, all this hard work I put together was going to disappear, so I was a bit disappointed."
After taking a drop, Choi settled for a double bogey. With that went all hopes of winning.
Choi wasn't upset about losing the $US540,000 ($A690,000) second-place prizemoney, adding her primary goal was just to compete.
