Corey Weworski, 42, of Carlsbad, Calif., turned what was supposed to be a vacation into something more magical by defeating 40-year-old Virginia Grimes of Montgomery, Ala., 5 and 4, in the 18-hole championship final match of the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

At Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn., Grimes jumped out to a 2-up lead after the first two holes before Weworski won the next three to take the lead for good. When Weworski pushed in a 2-footer for the victory on No. 14, she headed for the 15th teeing ground.

"I didn’t even know I won," said Weworski after needing 108 holes, the most ever by a Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, to win. "I just wanted to keep playing."

Said Grimes, who struggled with every facet of her game after the second hole: "(Today) I didn’t feel like I had it. It just wasn’t there."

Prior to the championship, Weworski had made up her mind that she wasn’t going to play. One of the main reasons had to do with leaving her two boys, 14- year-old Tyler and 12-year-old Ryan, behind. Her friend, Jamie Hoffmann, who played in the event but didn’t qualify for match play, convinced her to send in an application months ago, telling her she could win. Weworski thought it was a pipe dream.

Coming into the week, Weworski had planned to visit Tennessee landmarks once stroke play ended because she thought she wouldn’t be around for any matches.

"I’m a realist," said the soft-spoken Weworski, a 2003 Women’s Mid-Amateur semifinalist and winner of the 1998 California Women’s Amateur. "I didn’t expect to go far."

Weworski entered the match as the underdog against Grimes, who had won the 1998 Women’s Mid-Amateur. Grimes experienced a renaissance of sorts after suffering through major injuries from 1999 through 2001. A second back surgery, in which doctors inserted titanium spaces filled with crushed bone between a disc, was performed in 2001.

Through five previous matches, Grimes had trailed just six holes. In contrast, all of Weworski’s matches had gone at least 18 holes, and two went into extra holes.

The first critical missed green for Grimes occurred on No. 8, a 130-yard par 3. Her drive found the right greenside rough before she chipped to within 5 feet. When Grimes missed the 5-footer that turned into a bogey, Weworski secured her first lead with a par.

Weworski stuck her approach shot on No. 9 to within 12 feet of the hole and converted the downhill birdie putt to go 2 up. She purposely aimed to be above the hole all week because she "loves downhill putts."

Grimes agreed the killer for her came on No. 11, a 187-yard par 3. With both players in opposite greenside bunkers, Weworski got out to within 10 feet from the right side. Grimes wasn’t so fortunate, flubbing two shots in the sand before standing over a 30-foot putt from the fringe. Weworski grabbed a commanding 3-up lead.

"I wasn’t getting them in close enough to give myself a chance," said Grimes, who had been trying to become the fourth multiple winner of the championship.

A missed 4-footer for par by Grimes on No. 13, which led to another Weworski win, and the match was all but over.