By Tim Dahlberg
The Associated Press

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - When Patricia Meunier-Lebouc began playing with Annika Sorenstam last week, she thought the best female golfer in the world couldn't make a mistake.

When the Frenchwoman found out Sorenstam wasn't perfect, she went about finding a way to beat her.

"To see that she was about to be a human and miss shots helped me a lot to win today," Meunier-Lebouc said. "She makes mistakes like everybody does. So I think that helped me."

Sorenstam made two big mistakes on the back nine Sunday and Meunier-Lebouc took advantage to win the Kraft Nabisco and deny Sorenstam the chance to make history by winning the same major championship three years in a row.

Meunier-Lebouc played two rounds with Sorenstam in Phoenix last week and all four in the Kraft Nabisco. She saw her up close and realized she could be beaten.

"Getting so close to her to see that she's a wonderful player, the best out there, I mean she is," Meunier-Lebouc said. "I was trying to look at her as a player. And she was making mistakes out there."

Sorenstam three-putted the 13th hole, then hit a wayward tee shot on the par-3 14th, giving Meunier-Lebouc all she needed to take a lead she would not give up. She three-putted the 18th for a meaningless bogey to win by one stroke at 7 under.

"I didn't mean to give her all my secrets," Sorenstam said.

Most of the final round of the first LPGA major of the year was a two-person duel, as 13-year-old Michelle Wie never mounted a challenge. Wie was in the final group after shooting 66 on Saturday, but she faded to a 76 with some short missed putts on the back nine.

Still, she was impressive with her long drives, consistently hitting it well past Sorenstam and Meunier-Lebouc.

"She has a great future ahead of her," Sorenstam said.

So, apparently, does the 30-year-old Meunier-Lebouc, who is the best female player in France, though that doesn't mean a lot. Beating Sorenstam did, though, giving Meunier-Lebouc her second LPGA title and first major championship.

"I really was feeling that maybe it's my day, I deserve it," Meunier-Lebouc said.

Meunier-Lebouc had to overcome an out-of-bounds tee shot on the third hole with some steady play in the final holes.

She birdied the 13th hole to take the lead, then parred her way in before a meaningless three-putt bogey on the final hole gave her a 1-over 73 and a one-shot win over Sorenstam.

Along the way, Meunier-Lebouc thought of her 30th birthday party last fall and the fun she had with friends and family who gathered to celebrate.

"I was thinking about that night and all the joy I had," she said. "That's exactly what I wanted to feel on the course."

Wie was never a factor, missing several short putts to finish seven shots back. The eighth-grader from Hawaii began the day four strokes behind Meunier-Lebouc.

"It was pretty exciting," Wie said. "I couldn't really imagine myself being there this year. But it was pretty cool."

Wie hung around but never really challenged for the lead, despite the urging of a fan who held up a sign reading "We Love Wiesy." She was three shots back at the turn but three-putted the par-5 11th after hitting the green in two.

"That just brought me down," said Wie, who went on to three-putt the 15th hole, too.

Still, she finished with a par on the 18th hole that left her at even par and in a tie for ninth, one better than the 10th-place finish of 13-year-old Aree Song three years ago.

Meunier-Lebouc beat the best in the world by playing Sorenstam's game of fairways and greens and doing it just a little bit better to finish at 7 under for the tournament.

She knew it well, after playing her last six rounds with Sorenstam and using the knowledge gathered to remain composed under the pressure of playing a final round in a major championship.

"I was feeling shy until she made the birdie on 12 and took the lead," Meunier-Lebouc said. "Suddenly, I looked and said, 'OK.' I just relaxed and let it go."

Meunier-Lebouc eagled the second hole by pitching in, but her celebration turned to disgust one swing later when her tee shot on the third hole went out of bounds.

Sorenstam had won the last two Kraft Nabiscos and was going for an unprecedented third. She has 42 wins to just one for Meunier-Lebouc, who won the State Farm Classic last year.

It was Sorenstam, though, who cracked, three-putting the 13th hole after taking the lead with a birdie the hole before and then nearly hitting her next shot on the 14th hole into the water.

"Unfortunately, I made two mistakes on 13 and 14," Sorenstam said. "After that I was trying to chase her the last few holes."

Sorenstam finished with a 1-under 71 for second place, a stroke ahead of rookie Lorena Ochoa, who shot a 68.