Corey Pavin finally wins a Major (Allsport).

Californian Corey Pavin, the six-million-dollar man who could not win a major, finally put that right at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills tonight.

The 35-year-old stole up on the blind-side to snatch the title from under the nose of Australian Greg Norman, who, for the seventh time in his career, finished as runner-up in one of golf's biggest four championships.

Pavin won with a closing round of 68, which gave him a level-par total of 280.

Norman, who has the consolation of returning to the top of the world rankings, took second place on 282 after a closing 73 and another American, Tom Lehman, was third - one shot further back.

The hopes of British pair Ian Woosnam and Mark Roe disappeared over the closing nine holes.

Woosnam, joint fifth at the start of the day, dropped four shots coming home for a 75 - which left him on 287 - while Roe, making his debut in a major in America, double bogeyed the 11th and had to be content with a 72 and six-over aggregate of 286.

The consolation for the Sheffield player is that his performance was good enough to earn him not just a return invitation next year but also a debut in next year's Masters.

``I'm over the moon about that,'' said Roe, who throughout the week sported a giant sunflower on the back of his cap.

``It was a fantastic experience, but I have to admit I had a bit of a choke on the 10th and 11th.''

The shots that won Pavin the most coveted crown in American golf were an eight-foot birdie putt on the 15th and then a wood from the 18th fairway.

It landed in the rough, but he skipped through it and rolled up to within five feet of the flag.

He pulled the putt wide, but it meant Norman and Lehman had to birdie one of the last three holes to catch him.

Instead Lehman had a double bogey seven on the long 16th and Norman bogeyed the 17th after hitting his tee-shot into sand.

That meant the Great White Shark needed an eagle two at the 450 yard 18th.

Colin Montgomerie had achieved the feat earlier in the day but Norman went over the green and in the end did well to make a seven footer for par and outright second place - a position he knows so well.

Pavin had said going into the final round: ``Winning a major is the one thing I really haven't accomplished in golf. It would be the last accomplishment I'd like to put up on the mantelpiece.''

He was the leading money winner on the United States tour four years ago and is the leader of their Ryder Cup points table at the moment.

But he knew that a player is remembered for major success and it was a notable blank in his portfolio.

He resumed three behind Lehman and Norman and was still two adrift after a outward 35.

Instead it was Bob Tway who joined Norman and Lehman, before falling away to 40 on the back nine.

Norman followed a bogey on the second with nine successive pars and, with Lehman having a hat trick of bogeys from the ninth, it seemed as though the blond Queenslander was at last to break his major duck in America.

But then it was his turn to struggle. He went over the green at the 12th, chipped poorly and then dropped another on the 13th after driving into the rough and coming up short of the green.

At the same time, Pavin was making his move. It had started with a birdie on the 12th and, when he converted that eight-foot chance three holes later, he held a lead he was not to relinquish.

Norman birdied the 15th from four-feet to give himself an opportunity to retrieve matters, but just could not come up with the goods on another windy afternoon. Roe finished joint 13th, with Woosnam in a tie for 21st.

One shot further back came Montgomerie, whose dramatic closing eagle was for a round of 68, and Spaniards Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Bernhard Langer finished nine over, Barry Lane 10 over and Nick Faldo 11 over _ his worst performance in the championship in relation to par since his debut in 1984.

Faldo shot a last day 72, a seven-shot improvement on the Saturday 79 which was his undoing.

Final collated totals (US unless stated, (x) denotes amateur)

280 C Pavin 72 69 71 68 (£217,364)

282 G Norman (Aus) 68 67 74 73 (£128,555)

283 T Lehman 70 72 67 74 (£81,961)

284 N Lancaster 70 72 77 65, J Maggert 69 72 77 66, B Glasson 69 70 76 69, J Haas 70 73 72 69, D Love 72 68 73 71, P Mickelson 68 70 72 74 (£41,381 each)

285 F Nobilo (NZ) 72 72 70 71, V Singh (Fiji) 70 71 72 72, B Tway 69 69 72 75

286 M McCumber 70 71 77 68, D Waldorf 72 70 75 69, B Bryant 75 71 70 70, J Sluman 72 69 74 71, M Roe (GB) 71 69 74 72, L Janzen 70 72 72 72, N Price (Zimb) 66 73 73 74, S Stricker 71 70 71 74

287 F Zoeller 69 74 76 68, P Stewart 71 74 73 69, B Ogle (Aus) 71 75 72 69, P Jordan 74 71 71 71, B Andrade 72 69 74 72, S Verplank 72 69 71 75, I Woosnam (GB) 72 71 69 75

288 M A Jimenez (Spain) 72 72 75 69, C Montgomerie (GB) 71 74 75 68, M Hulbert 74 72 72 70, M Ozaki (Jap) 69 68 80 71, S Simpson 67 65 74 72, D Duval 70 73 73 72, J M Olazabal (Spain) 73 70 72 73, G Hallberg 70 76 69 73

289 R Floyd 74 72 76 67, B Porter 73 70 79 67, H Sutton 71 74 76 68, C Strange 70 72 76 71, G Boros 73 71 74 71, S Elkington (Aus) 72 73 73 71, C Byrum 70 70 76 73, 289 B Langer (Ger) 74 67 74 74

290 B Lane (GB) 74 72 71 73

291 J McGovern 73 69 81 68, C Pena 74 71 76 70, O Uresti 71 74 75 71, J Daly 71 75 74 71, N Faldo (GB) 72 68 79 72, B Hughes (Aus) 72 71 75 73

292 E Romero (Argentina) 71 73 75 73, T Tryba 71 75 73 73, B Burns 73 72 75 72, P Jacobsen 72 72 74 74, M Gogel 73 70 73 76

293 C Perry 70 74 75 74, B Faxon 71 73 77 72, T Watson 70 73 77 73, S Lowery 69 72 75 77, S Hoch 74 72 70 77, G Bruckner 70 72 73 78

294 J Gallagher 75 71 77 71, B Jobe 71 72 76 75, J Cook 75 70 76 73, D Edwards 72 74 72 76, 294 P Goydos 73 73 70 78

295 T Kite 70 72 82 71, T Armour 77 69 74 75, M Brisky 71 72 77 75

296 J Connelly 75 71 74 76

297 B Crenshaw 72 71 79 75, J Maginnes 75 71 74 77

301 J Gullion 70 74 81 76