Sherri Steinhauer took 81 shots in the opening round of the Women's British Open here on Thursday, and for three days had a totally anonymous tournament.

Yesterday, though, this largely unknown American made up for that with a 12-shot improvement on her first effort, and her three-under-par 69, for a four-over-par total of 292, made her one of the more surprising winners.

It was a day when Sherri proved to be rather more potent than Brandie (Burton), the betterknown American who shared the runners-up spot with Sophie Gustafson of Sweden, both of them being one behind Steinhauer, while the overnight leader and great hope of British golf, Janice Moodie, had the blues on the greens.

Six times from inside seven feet Moodie missed important putts, the first three being crucial to the overall result. At the third and fourth, six-footers slid past on the left to squander her lead, and at the sixth, over-correcting, she pushed one of the same length an inch right of the hole.

That last one was the key. Had it gone in, it might have restored her confidence with the putter; instead she remained tentative throughout on the greens and lost a tournament in which she probably played more good shots through the green than any other competitor.

It is said, probably accurately, that it is necessary to lose a championship before you can win one, and although this week's event is not a major in American eyes it is probably the one the Europeans want to win most. If Moodie reacts positively to her final 75 she should certainly go on to win "proper" majors.

She confessed to having been nervous at the start of the day. "My legs were like jelly on the first tee," she said. But these were the nerves of anticipation, not trepidation, and "by the time we'd got to the second I was pretty strong".

The Glasgow woman has been a professional for only 12 months - this was her first pro event last year - and has only once since then been among the leaders going out for the final round.

"I'm still learning," she said. "If you'd offered me fourth place in the British Open before the tournament started I'd have grabbed your hand off. But that changed, of course, before the final round."

Fourth, though, is what she had to settle for, after more missed putts on the back nine. The worst of these was from only two feet at the 14th.

The course was set up by the Ladies' Golf Union secretary Julie Hall, who, as Joanne Morley said after a 77, is "off the Christmas card list" of many of the players. It was only marginally easier than it is for a men's Open, and this year's great growing conditions meant that the rough was probably too tough.

But of course if you do not go in it there are no problems, and Steinhauer played some remarkably consistent golf. She had arrived in Lytham the Sunday before the tournament and spent that day walking the course, picking out targets at which to aim.

It did not work on the first day because everything was obliterated by the foul weather, but her three remaining rounds were played in five under par.

She confessed afterwards that she briefly lost the faith. "After that 81," she said, "I dreamed that I was at the travel agents, rearranging my flights home. But when I woke up, I didn't go." Instead she rearranged her ambitions, to concentrate on making the cut and, when she had done that, to try to get into the top 10.

She won the tournament with a birdie at the last. A fine drive left her with 156 yards to go in a strong crosswind and she elected to use a six-iron, pitching the ball well short of the pin and running it up. She succeeded brilliantly, the ball trickling to seven feet short of the hole. The putt was weakly struck but just reached the rim of the hole and fell in.