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 The steady Swede held a six-shot lead to start the day. It seemed a foregone conclusion she'd finish things off for her first LPGA Tour win since 2003.
Gustafson even upped her margin with birdies on the first and third holes Sunday.
Then her troubles began. She racked up five bogeys and two double bogeys the rest of the way, opening the door for Seon Hwa Lee to win the Ginn Tribute.
Lee earned the title when Hall of Famer Karrie Webb missed about a 3-foot par putt on the first playoff hole, the 18th. By that time, Gustafson was trying to come to grips with a stunning 79 that left her three shots behind Lee's winning score of 14-under 274.
"I mean, if I would've have come from behind and shot 66 the final day and finished fourth, I would have been happy," Gustafson said. "But having a six-shot lead going into the last round and finishing fourth, it can't be much else than a disappointment."
Lee took full advantage with a 67. She moved in front on the 72nd hole, rolling in a 20-footer from the fringe.
Webb matched that moments later with her own 12-foot birdie putt to force the playoff.
Webb had the advantage, ending up about 16 feet from the flag on the extra hole while Lee was about 45 feet away. But while Lee lagged up and tapped in a par, Webb came up short and hit the tying putt straight left as the crowd gasped.
Count Lee among those surprised by Webb's miss. "I thought she was going to make it because she has a lot of experience and she's a Hall of Fame golfer," Lee said.
Instead, it was Lee accepting the trophy from tournament host Annika Sorenstam. The 22-year-old Lee also earned $390,000 for her third career LPGA Tour victory.
"I didn't expect I'm going to win this because the leader was way (ahead)," Lee said. "But I'm just trying to do my best and try to do my best every shot. So, play smart. So I think that helped this week."
Webb was angered by her playoff miss, but empathized with Gustafson's troubles.
"You could probably tee it up nine times out of 10 with a six-shot lead on Sunday and win, and I'm sure she's very disappointed," said Webb, who played with Gustafson the last two rounds.
Song-Hee Kim (69) was third at 13-under, followed by Gustafson and Jane Park (72) another two shots behind.
Gustafson raced to the top the first three rounds with long, accurate drives and dead-on putting. She opened Sunday rock solid as ever with a first-hole birdie.
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Gustafson made birdie on the third hole to reach 20-under, and was still ahead by five when the problems started.
She hit her tee shot on the par-3 eighth into a bunker behind the green for a bogey, then three-putted the next green to drop another shot.
Gustafson followed on the 10th with a double bogey, her lead shrinking to one stroke over Na-Yeon Choi.
Gustafson surrendered the lead on the par-3 14th when her tee shot went left into a greenside lake. She walked back behind her bag with little emotion, staring straight ahead.
When she tapped in for another double bogey a short time later, Gustafson had given up the lead she'd held or shared since Friday.
And the problems didn't stop. Gustafson drove into thick rough for a bogey on the 15th. She put her tee shot into the marsh on the final hole for her last bogey.
It was the second recent disappointment for Gustafson. Two weeks ago, she missed a 12-foot putt on the final hole of the Sybase Classic that would've tied world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa.
Ochoa withdrew from the Ginn Tribute earlier this week because of the death of her uncle.
Sorenstam finished tied for 32nd after a final round 71 left her at 4-under. With three wins already this year, Sorenstam hoped for a better display at RiverTowne in light of her recent decision to retire from the game.
"I'm very disappointed about that," she said. "I think everything else has been great this week. The host just doesn't perform."
[Associated Press; By PETE IACOBELLI]
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