As the final group came to the green, two players had the potential to deny the 25-year-old Shepley her first professional victory. After Mindy Kim's shot found the water in front of the green, only a long putt by Stephanie Otteson could prevent a playoff.

"It was very exciting, very intense," Shepley said. "I was kind of looking, kind of not looking. You never assume a person is going to miss but it sure wasn't 100 per cent."

Otteson stepped up and found the cup from 30 feet out, giving her a one-stroke victory over Shepley, who finished as the runner-up for the second time in five weeks.

Though she didn't come away with the victory, Shepley did move up to fifth in the Futures Tour money list -- an important jump, considering the top five at the end of the season will earn LPGA tour cards. Shepley is the only player in the top five without a victory, but she believes it will come.

"Absolutely, I don't know if it's going to be this season or next season, but it's going to happen," Shepley said Monday as she drove to the next tour stop in Hammond, Indiana.

Shepley may not have felt that way during her first three years as a professional, during which time she had only one top-10 finish. Already this season, Shepley has four top-six finishes. Her $11,000 payday on Sunday was more than she made in any of her first three seasons.

After having success as an amateur and collegiate golfer at the University of Tennessee, not being in contention was new territory for Shepley.

"It wasn't the easiest thing to swallow," said the 2001 Ontario amateur champion. "I had to dig down and find something inside me. I had very supportive friends and family and coach. I had a good team around me to help keep my head up at times."

Shepley never considered packing it in, though.

"Obviously I struggled," she said. "I don't think giving up is anything I ever considered. This is what I want. I might have shook my head a little and I knew I had to work through it. The things we enjoy in life don't come easy. It takes some sweat and tears to get there."

Bret Shepley said his daughter had to adjust to the difficult life of a touring pro, living on the road six months a year while still trying to eat properly and stay in shape. He said her competitive spirit was what carried her through the tough times.

"She loves competition," he said. "In high school (at Iroquois Ridge) her coaches in volleyball and basketball sometimes had to tell her to tone it down a bit on the intensity. Once she's on the court or between the ropes, it's pretty much business."

Ironically, Shepley said the success she's enjoying now is a product of being less results-oriented and putting less pressure on herself.

"It's just a game, it's not life or death," she said. "I put it in perspective and I'm focusing more on the process, the journey and the people, and then letting the results happen."

And they are happening with more regularity. Shepley was the only player with three sub-par rounds in Ohio, opening with a 67 and following it up with a 70. She began the season with a sixth-place finish, but it was her second-place showing in Kansas last month where work on her short game and putting paid off.

"I had that good finish in Kansas, you see some putts roll in and you get some confidence," Shepley said. "It's unbelievable if you can tap into that and get a hold of it."