It took 18 years for Martha Nause to finish a competitive round at Oakmont Country Club in the U.S. Women's Open, and it had nothing to do with slow play and everything to do with persevering, even if she did finish at the bottom of the field.

"This is redemption for her," said her sister, Anne Nause, one of a small but supportive contingent cheering from outside the ropes on a stifling hot afternoon.

Nause, 55, is the oldest competitor in the 156-player field. A former member of the LPGA Executive Committee, she currently coaches the men's and women's golf teams at Division III Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. But she also was on a personal quest.

"I wanted to play Oakmont," she said after posting a 15-over 86 during a round that was 10 minutes shy of six hours.

There was an underlying reason why she subjected herself to this.

In 1992, she had earned a spot in the 1992 Women's Open at Oakmont. But she came down with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system caused by a virus.

She never completed all 18 holes tuning up for the tournament, and, after a day in the hospital, she was unable to play in the first round.

"I was excited to play. I was ready to play. I just couldn't do it," she said. "I didn't even get around the whole course on my practice round."

Not only was the right side of her face paralyzed by the syndrome, she was robbed of her equilibrium. Ms. Nause (pronounced now-zee) had to relearn everything in terms of balance, and there is not a competitive golfer anywhere who can tee it up without balance.

Her medical condition did not end a pro golfing career that began in 1978. She rebounded to have her best year in 1994, when she won the du Maurier Classic, a major tournament at the time. And two years ago, she qualified for the Open at Interlachen in Edina, Minn. She was also the oldest player in the field then and was paired with 13-year-old Alexis Thompson.

But she still felt something was missing because of 1992. A native of Sheboygan, Wis., who now lives in Inver Grove Heights, Minn., she was medalist at the sectional qualifier in May at the White Bear Yacht Club in Minnesota to get another chance.

"I wanted to play Oakmont," she repeated.

Nause already has played in 13 Opens, finishing third in 1987 and making the cut eight times. Yesterday, after all the buildup, she began her round on No. 10 with a triple bogey. It got away from her after that, even though she had pars on the final two holes to avoid finishing last all by herself. She wound up in a tie with Mi-Jeong Jeon, 27, of South Korea.

Oakmont is a course that does not recognize sentimentality.

"No, not at all," said Nause, who is nearly four times older than the youngest player in the field, Yueer Feng of China, the 14-year-old who posted an 83. "It was brutal. Crazy. I never played a course so tough. It was just one of those days. I felt like a duffer."

Yet for her golf teams at Macalester and for herself, she found a teachable moment in the rubble of this round.

"I parred the last two. I didn't give up," she said. "I guess it is a teachable moment -- hold your head up."

Isn't that the essence of redemption?

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