Twenty years ago, Hubert Green followed his US Open triumph with victory in the Irish Open. Exercising the female prerogative, the diminutive Alison Nicholas completed this unique double in reverse, following her Irish Open win of last year with a remarkable success in the US Women's Open in July.

It wasn't supposed to happen that way. Club manufacturers Callaway, dug deeply into their coffers to fund an elaborate documentary for one of their favourite clients, Annika Sorenstam, on a course where Tiger Woods had captured an unprecedented third successive US Amateur 11 months previously.

This was to be the occasion when Sorenstam would claim a special place in the history of the women's professional game, by becoming the first player to win the trophy a third successive time. Carefully-laid plans were scuppered, however, when the Swede missed her first American cut in three years.

There was another fascinating element to Nicholas's triumph over the Witch Hollow Course at Pumpkin Ridge. In the process, she destroyed the hopes of an entire nation by beating the great Nancy Lopez, who had been her idol for almost 20 years.

The first step in a unique double happened in miserable, wet conditions at Citywest in July of last year. There, on her debut in the Guardian Irish Open, Nicholas was delivering on a promise made by her good friend Laura Davies, two years previously. After she, too, had made a winning debut in the event - at St Margaret's - Davies pledged: "I hope to bring some leading colleagues such as Alison Nicholas with me when I defend the title next year." As it happened, Nicholas didn't arrive until two years later but when she did, her impact was formidable.

Breaking from the pack with a course-record 65 on the Saturday, she went on to claim the top prize of £11,500 by a crushing eight-stroke margin, with an 11-under-par aggregate of 277. It was the 12th win of a career which was highlighted at that stage by a victory in the 1987 British Women's Open.

"I was good at tennis, but I didn't feel I could actually make it as a professional in the sport," Nicholas recalled of her teenage years. "Anyway, it's tough when you can't see your opponent on the other side of the net." So she turned her attention to golf, "because I loved and enjoyed playing in tournaments and all the pressure that that involved."

As a 22-handicapper, she armed herself with an instruction book written by Lopez - and went on to win her first tournament at club level. Nicholas was on her way.

For three years, she toiled among the elite of the English amateur game, won the British Women's Strokeplay title in 1983 and turned professional a year later, when she was overlooked for a place in the Curtis Cup team. And all the while, she followed the progress of Lopez in newspapers and on television.

Then came the inaugural Solheim Cup matches of 1990 when, at Lake Nona, Florida, she happened to be drawn in the singles against her idol. Lopez won the match by 6 and 4 but she was generous enough to acknowledge fighting qualities in her opponent, that she felt sure would bring rewards in the long term.

"Nancy told me that my game was good enough for the LPGA Tour," recalled Nicholas. "It meant a lot to me to have someone like her, a legend, say that." So, standing five-feet nothing "in my spikes", the so-called Pocket Battleship, or Big Al to her friends, embarked on a career in the New World.

Now, seven years on, here she was attempting to wrest the biggest prize from one of America's best-loved sporting figures. It seemed that everybody wanted Lopez to fill the only gap in a distinguished career by capturing the national title.

Even Laura Davies, who formed a formidable partnership with Nicholas in the Solheim Cup, was prompted to remark: "If it hadn't been for Ally being the other player, I would have been screaming all day for Nancy."

By Friday evening, Nicholas was on 136 - six-under-par - a stroke clear of Lopez, Sweden's Liselotte Neumann and another American, Kelly Robbins. "I was nervous inside but I also felt a great sense of calm and peace," said the Englishwoman, who leads a prayer group on the European circuit. "I know my room-mates prayed for me. They prayed for me to be calm. I just had fun out there.

"She's never been a braggart or a talker about herself," said her caddie, Mark Fulcher, who met Nicholas more than 12 years ago. "She's way up there in the world rankings and yet she doesn't talk like one of top-20 players. It's not to say she lacks confidence. She just doesn't sound like it."

In an undistinguished build-up to Pumpkin Ridge, she had lost a playoff to Hiromi Kobayashi in the Evian Masters in France, having led until the 72nd. And she finished third at Luttrellstown Castle in defence of her Irish Open title.

Negative thinking has always been alien, however, to a player who lists skiing and scuba-diving among her pastimes. So, she continued her stunning onslaught on a notoriously difficult stretch of 6,365 yards, characterised by narrow fairways and severely sloping greens.

After a third round of 67, Nicholas began the final day three strokes ahead of Lopez who, in turn, was two ahead of the remainder of the field. And the English player had reason to believe it was to be her day, when a 56-yard wedge shot found the cup for an improbable eagle-three at the long fourth.

Due to her lack of height, Nicholas couldn't see over the rise at the front of the green. "I wasn't absolutely certain it had gone it," she said. But her playing partner, Lopez, knew. "It was kind of a kick in the face," she said. "I was thinking `I'm going to pick up a shot here, maybe' and I end up losing a shot. It was pretty shocking."

After that, Nicholas made nine unbroken pars and led by four with six holes remaining. But she then carded a double-bogey at the 14th where her lead over Lopez had shrunk to one. And after a bogey at the 17th, she faced the prospect of a play-off, if the celebrated American sank a 15-foot birdie effort at the last.

Recalling that crucial moment, Lopez said: "When I stepped over that putt, I really felt good. I hadn't really missed any putts on the lower side all week, so I was really surprised. After I missed it, everything kind of let loose."

Meanwhile, with rounds of 70, 66, 67 and 71 for a 10-under-par aggregate of 274, Nicholas eclipsed the scoring record (in relation to par) for the championship of 279 (nine under) set by Pat Bradley in 1981. And she was only two shots outside the record low of 272 set by Sorenstam at Pine Needles last year.

As her 16th tournament win world-wide, it earned her a first-place cheque for $232,500. In the process, the gritty little fighter from the North of England had shown herself to be a brilliant lag putter, an exemplary competitor and one of the best front-runners in the game.

And for Lopez, there remains only the hope that she may get another chance at a title which for her, represents tradition, pressure, prestige, excitement and, so far, heartbreaking failure.