SAN MARTIN, Calif. -- Just when it seemed as if the U.S. Womens Open would come down to the final hole of the three-hole playoff, a rules violation changed everything and helped deliver Brittany Lang her first major title.Lang was the beneficiary of a delayed, two-stroke penalty called on Anna Nordqvist on Sunday, as she won the title she was so close to seizing when she was runner-up 11 years ago as an amateur.You never want to win with a penalty or something like that happen, especially to Anna, who is a friend of mine and a great player and a classy girl, Lang said. But its unfortunate. Its part of the game and it happened that way.Lang made par on all three holes of the aggregate playoff and Nordqvist was given a two-stroke penalty for touching the sand with her club in a fairway bunker on the second playoff hole, helping deliver Lang the title.The players were not told of the penalty until they were in the middle of playing the final hole, after officials reviewed replays in the latest controversy at a USGA event after the delayed penalty called in the final round on eventual mens U.S. Open winner Dustin Johnson last month.Seemed kind of unreal that it happened, but it does, Nordqvist said. It wasnt any reason to question it. But Im certainly disappointed of the timing of it.Lang then sealed the win with a short par putt on the final playoff hole, while Nordqvist made bogey to lose by three shots.Lang shot a 1-under 71 to finish with a 6-under 282 for the tournament at CordeValle for her second win in 287 tournaments on the LPGA Tour. She survived a bogey on the 17th hole that led to the playoff before recovering in the playoff for a breakthrough win at age 30.I think this is absolutely huge, a huge momentum builder to say you won the U.S. Open, Lang said. I think this is a huge, a huge step in the right direction for my career.Both players made pars on the first hole of the playoff, which was played on the final three holes of the course. Then things got interesting on the next hole after Nordqvist hit her tee shot into a fairway bunker.While preparing to hit the shot, Nordqvists club barely touched the sand. She did not realize it and both players made par on the hole, heading to the final playoff hole seemingly tied.But after seeing a replay, broadcaster Fox asked the USGA if there was a violation. That led USGA official John Bodenhamer to go to the television truck to see a replay which showed the violation that was not evident on the live broadcast or to the official watching the hole in person.Bodenhamer then said he decided to immediately tell the players but the news got to Nordqvist after she hit her third shot at 18 and before Lang did. Nordqvist said she would have been more aggressive going for the pin if she knew she needed birdie. Lang changed clubs for a safer approach shot, knowing a par would win the tournament.It certainly changed her game plan, Nordqvist said. But, you know, hopefully we can all learn from it and hopefully we can all get better.Lang hit her shot onto the green and the two-putted for the win, getting hearty congratulations from many of her fellow Americans on tour after she joined Michelle Wie (2014) as the only U.S. golfers to win the Open in the past six years.Lang came on the scene as an amateur back in 2005 when she finished tied for second at the U.S. Womens Open at Cherry Hills. But in more than a decade as a pro, Lang had won just one tournament, the 2012 Manulife Financial LPGA.Lang capitalized on a surprising final-round collapse by world No. 1 and 54-hole leader Lydia Ko, who made a double-bogey 7 on the ninth hole and shot 3-over 75 on the day, finishing two shots off the lead in a four-way tie for third with Amy Yang, Sung Hyun Park and 2009 winner Eun Hee Ji.Ko had a two-shot lead heading to the eighth hole and seemed on her way to becoming the youngest man or woman to win three majors. But then she bogeyed the eighth hole before her collapse on nine.Kos tee shot went left into the rough. Instead of just chipping out, Ko decided to try to clear the hazard and get back into position to make a possible birdie. But her shot from the rough landed in the hazard and she ended up with a 7 instead.I should have judged the lie a little better and maybe played a little smarter and laid up short of the hazard, she said. Then just lay up again and try and make up-and-down for par. Ondrej Kase Jersey . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Max Comtois Jersey . Louis Blues. 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SEATTLE -- The last-place Oakland Athletics fell just short of handing the Seattle Mariners a crushing loss to their playoff hopes.Mike Zunino delivered the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning and Seattle held on for a 3-2 victory over Oakland on Thursday night, keeping the Mariners on the edge of the AL wild-card chase.Oakland lost for the ninth time in 10 games.Seattle is two games behind Baltimore and Toronto with three games to play. The Orioles defeated the Blue Jays 4-0 to pull even atop the wild-card race. Detroit, which was rained out against Cleveland, is a half-game ahead of the Mariners, who have three left against Oakland.We can only control what we do here, Mariners manager Scott Servais said. We need help. We know that. I think everybody thought the way Toronto was playing, theyd probably win two out of three at home. Didnt happen. The way we look at it, were still alive. Weve got to win tomorrows game and again, pray for a little help.Zunino, hitting .139 over his last 25 games, opened the seventh with his 12th home run, sending a 2-2 pitch from Liam Hendriks (0-4) deep over the wall in left to put Seattle up 2-1.Seattle added a run in the eighth on a two-out single by Leonys Martin, a walk to Zunino and Ketel Martes RBI single.Steve Cishek (4-6) came on to stifle an Oakland threat in the seventh with an inning-ending double play and added a perfect eighth. Rookie Edwin Diaz notched his 18th save, despite allowing a run and three hits in the ninth.Oakland starter Kendall Graveman, tagged for eight runs on 12 hits in five innings in his last start against Seattle, gave up just one run on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.We made an adjustment from the last two times and we started to pitch in tonight, and said if they are going to beat us they are going to have to beat us when we throw fastballs in, Graveman said. That lineup over there, they stack a lot of lefties in on you, and if you start pitching them away they start to see it out there and put some good swings on it. For the most paart, I thought we commanded it pretty well tonight.ddddddddddddhe Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on three consecutive singles before running themselves out of the inning. Kyle Seager reached on an infield single when Graveman couldnt find the handle on his two-out dribbler along the first-base line. Adam Lind followed with a single to center. Martin singled through the right side, scoring Seager from second. Martin continued for second, but was caught in a rundown. Lind was thrown out at home trying to score on the play.Chad Pinder brought Oakland even in the sixth with his first career home run, a leadoff shot to left for the only run off starter Ariel Miranda.Oakland had runners on first and third with one out in the seventh, but failed to score. Danny Valencia singled to open, but was forced at second on Brett Eibners fielders choice groundout to short. Yonder Alonso then singled Eibner to third. Cishek relieved and enticed pinch-hitter Max Muncy into a ending double play grounder.It came down to situational out bats, Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. We had runners at third with less than two outs, then we hit into a double play and two strikeouts . Our situational at-bats hurt us tonight.VALENCIA CLOSING STRONGDanny Valencia, who double and singled, is hitting .326 over his last 12 games with two doubles, a homer, three RBI and six walks. On the road this season, Valencia is batting .323 (14 for 43).UP NEXT:As: RHP Raul Alcantara (1-2, 5.75 ERA) makes his fifth career start since being called up from Triple-A Nashville on Sept. 5. He faced Seattle on Sept. 11, giving up two runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings without a decision.Mariners: RHP Taijaun Walkers up-and-down season seems to be back on the upswing. Walker (7-11, 4.35 ERA) was 2-0 with 1.44 in four April starts, then went 0-5 in May and eventually was sent to Triple-A. Hes 3-1 in his last four starts. ' ' '