paula creamer

Ochoa, Creamer set the pace for LPGA final-round qualifiers
18 hours ago

WEST PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — World number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico and American Paula Creamer each fired a 66 Saturday to lead eight qualifiers for Sunday's one million-dollar LPGA Tour Championship showdown.

Ochoa had a bogey-free round of six under-par while Creamer followed an eagle at the 15th with her lone bogey to match Ochoa at the top after scores from the first two rounds had been wiped out.

"It was a good day, just very solid, very consistent, hit some good drives, a lot of birdie chances, and hopefully I'll have one of those tomorrow," Ochoa said.

Scores from Saturday will again be set aside, setting the stage for an 18-hole battle for the top prize in women's golf with only 100,000 dollars to the runner-up.

"I played solid," Creamer said. "I made some really good putts. I hit it pretty good.

"I'll do the same thing that I've been doing every day - go hit some balls, do some chipping and putting, and then we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Joining Ochoa and Creamer in the last eight were Australian Karrie Webb on 68, American Cristie Kerr on 69, South Korean Sarah Lee and American Natalie Gulbis on 70 and playoff survivors Mi Hyun Kim of Korea and Christina Kim.

"I think all of us have a really good chance," Ochoa said. "There's only eight players, the best players in the world, and it's going to be fun. I'm just glad that I'm going to have an opportunity."

Gulbis made bogey at 13 to stand one-over with five to play but answered with birdies on 14, 15 and 17 to finish on 70 and grab a spot in the final eight without the added drama of a playoff.

Sophie Gustafson appeared set for the Sunday showdown, making an eagle at the sixth and four birdies in a row starting at the ninth to overcome three front-nine bogeys.

But the Swede took a double-bogey at the par-3 17th and a bogey at the par-4 18th to finish on 71 with American Nicole Castrale, who also made bogey at 18, Korean Mi Hyun Kim, who had a double bogey at 18, and American Christina Kim.

US veteran Kim, one-over with five holes to play, made birdies at 14 and 15, a bogey at 16, a birdie at 17 and a par at 18 to fight her way into what was a two-hole sudden death playoff fight among four women for two Sunday spots.

The Kims advanced after replaying the 17th and 18th holes while Gustafson and Castrale were eliminated.

US veteran Juli Inkster took a bogey at 16 and double bogey at 17 to finish on 72 and miss the playoff for the final-day fireworks.

Also failing to reach the final 18 holes were South Korean Seon Hwa Lee and American Morgan Pressel on 73, Japan's Ai Miyazato, Norway's Suzann Pettersen on 74 and Britain's Catriona Matthew on 79.
Golf | Ochoa, Creamer, Kim charge into final round
By The Associated Press

AP Golf Writer

PREV of NEXT


SCOTT HALLERAN / GETTY IMAGES

Lorena Ochoa of Mexico watches her tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the ADT Championship on Saturday in West Palm Beach, Fla. She shot a 6-under-par 66.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Lorena Ochoa continued to play nearly flawless golf in posting a bogey-free round of 6-under-par 66 Saturday at the ADT Championship, joined atop the leaderboard by Paula Creamer.

Creamer holed out a wedge for an eagle on the 15th hole during the third round of the LPGA Tour's season-ending tournament.

Meanwhile, Christina Kim was running on adrenaline as she stood in the 18th fairway, somewhat lucky to still be in the hunt for $1 million and knowing she was one bad shot from going home with nothing.

When Kim's 7-iron from 153 yards settled 2 feet behind the hole, the Californian charged toward her caddie, leaped and spun and collided for a football-style body bump. Her pro-am partners did that throughout their round Wednesday, and told her to do it on the 18th hole during the tournament.

"The moment was right," Kim said.

Her timing could not have been better. Kim's shot, followed by Nicole Castrale hitting into the water on the 18th for the second time, gave her the eighth and final spot in the final round today for an 18-hole shootout with $1 million going to the winner.

As if players needed additional pressure, LPGA Tour officials placed $1 million cash — or what looked like it, anyway — in a glass case with a big lock on it and a bodyguard nearby.

"I'm not Rain Man, so I wasn't able to calculate whether it was actually a million dollars," Kim said. "You always see in the movies they've got the million, and it's a very thin briefcase. I don't know."

Karrie Webb, whose 50-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Friday enabled her to avoid a playoff, made it easier on herself in the third round by racing out to five birdies in 12 holes and shooting a 68.

Other qualifiers were Cristie Kerr, Natalie Gulbis, Sarah Lee and Mi Hyun Kim.

The Kims had to go through a playoff to advance. Four players competed for two berths. The Kims had birdies on both playoff holes. Castrale and Sophie Gustafson lost in the playoff.

As was the case for the third round, scores will be wiped out for the final 18 holes, where the winner gets $1 million and second place gets $100,000, the biggest disparity of prize money on the LPGA Tour.



"It's all or nothing," Creamer said.

Other tournaments

• Sweden's Robert Karlsson shot a 4-under 66 to maintain a four-stroke lead after the third round of the Hong Kong Open. Karlsson had a 16-under 194 total on the Hong Kong Golf Club course. Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, the 2004 champion, was second after a 66.

"I am very happy with the way I played today and that is the most important thing," Karlsson said. "Both me and Miguel had a fantastic start and if you play well the first few holes, you get into the rhythm of the round and we made the most of it."

South Korea's K.J. Choi (65), Australia's Marcus Fraser (64), Sweden's Peter Hanson (65) and India's Shiv Kapur (65) were at 11 under. Canada's Mike Weir (67) was in a group at 10 under.

• Tommy Armour III shot a 7-under 65 at Del Monte Golf Course to take a two-stroke lead over Nick Watney after the third round of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational in California.

The 48-year-old Armour, a two-time PGA Tour winner who finished 110th on the money list this season, has a 14-under 202 total.

Watney, the 2005 Callaway winner, shot a 67, also at Del Monte, one of three courses used in the tournament that features pros from the four major tours as well as minitour players, club pros and amateur teams.

• England's Ian Poulter shot a 3-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead over countryman Luke Donald after the third round of the Dunlop Phoenix in Miyazaki, Japan.

Poulter had a 10-under 200 total on the Phoenix Country Club course. Donald also shot a 67. Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (69) and Japan's Daisuke Maruyama (70) were at 6 under. Defending champion Padraig Harrington (73) of Ireland was at 4 under.

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Ochoa, Creamer set the pace for LPGA final-round qualifiers
1 day ago

WEST PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — World number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico and American Paula Creamer each fired a 66 Saturday to lead eight qualifiers for Sunday's one million-dollar LPGA Tour Championship showdown.

Ochoa had a bogey-free round of six under-par while Creamer followed an eagle at the 15th with her lone bogey to match Ochoa at the top after scores from the first two rounds had been wiped out.

"It was a good day, just very solid, very consistent, hit some good drives, a lot of birdie chances, and hopefully I'll have one of those tomorrow," Ochoa said.

Scores from Saturday will again be set aside, setting the stage for an 18-hole battle for the top prize in women's golf with only 100,000 dollars to the runner-up.

"I played solid," Creamer said. "I made some really good putts. I hit it pretty good.

"I'll do the same thing that I've been doing every day - go hit some balls, do some chipping and putting, and then we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Joining Ochoa and Creamer in the last eight were Australian Karrie Webb on 68, American Cristie Kerr on 69, South Korean Sarah Lee and American Natalie Gulbis on 70 and playoff survivors Mi Hyun Kim of Korea and Christina Kim.

"I think all of us have a really good chance," Ochoa said. "There's only eight players, the best players in the world, and it's going to be fun. I'm just glad that I'm going to have an opportunity."

Gulbis made bogey at 13 to stand one-over with five to play but answered with birdies on 14, 15 and 17 to finish on 70 and grab a spot in the final eight without the added drama of a playoff.

Sophie Gustafson appeared set for the Sunday showdown, making an eagle at the sixth and four birdies in a row starting at the ninth to overcome three front-nine bogeys.

But the Swede took a double-bogey at the par-3 17th and a bogey at the par-4 18th to finish on 71 with American Nicole Castrale, who also made bogey at 18, Korean Mi Hyun Kim, who had a double bogey at 18, and American Christina Kim.

US veteran Kim, one-over with five holes to play, made birdies at 14 and 15, a bogey at 16, a birdie at 17 and a par at 18 to fight her way into what was a two-hole sudden death playoff fight among four women for two Sunday spots.

The Kims advanced after replaying the 17th and 18th holes while Gustafson and Castrale were eliminated.

US veteran Juli Inkster took a bogey at 16 and double bogey at 17 to finish on 72 and miss the playoff for the final-day fireworks.

Also failing to reach the final 18 holes were South Korean Seon Hwa Lee and American Morgan Pressel on 73, Japan's Ai Miyazato, Norway's Suzann Pettersen on 74 and Britain's Catriona Matthew on 79.
Paula Creamer
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Paula Creamer Personal Information

Birth August 5, 1986 (1986-08-05) (age 21)
Mountain View, California U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Nationality United States
Residence Orlando, Florida, U.S.
College None
Career
Turned Professional 2005
Current tour LPGA Tour (joined 2005)
Professional wins 6 (LPGA Tour: 4, other: 2)
Best Results in Major Championships
Kraft Nabisco T15: 2007
LPGA Championship T3: 2005
U.S. Women's Open T13: 2004
Women's British Open T7: 2007
Awards
American Junior Golf
Association (AJGA)
Player of the Year 2003
Golf Digest
Junior of the Year 2003
Golf Digest
Amateur of the Year 2004
LPGA Rookie of the Year 2005
Paula Creamer (born August 5, 1986) is an American professional golfer playing on the LPGA Tour. She was named LPGA Rookie of the Year in 2005 and currently has four wins on the LPGA Tour and six total professional wins.

Creamer has been ranked in the top 10 of the Women's World Golf Rankings since the rankings were introduced in February 2006.

Contents
1 Amateur career
1.1 Amateur victories and honours
2 Professional career
3 Professional wins (6)
3.1 LPGA Tour (4)
3.2 Other (2)
3.3 Results in LPGA majors
4 Team appearances
5 Personal life
6 Association with color pink
7 References
8 External links



[edit] Amateur career
Creamer took up golf at the age of ten.

She won a total of 19 amateur national titles, including 11 American Junior Golf Association tournaments. She was a semi-finalist in the 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship at the age of 16 and reached the same stage in 2004. In the same year she placed second in the ShopRite LPGA Classic, and tied for 13th in the U.S. Women's Open, and also represented the United States in the Curtis Cup.

She won the 2004 LPGA Tour Qualifying School by five shots, thus gaining membership on the tour for 2005. She turned professional immediately afterwards.


[edit] Amateur victories and honours
19 national titles, including 11 American Junior Golf Association tournaments.
2002: Member of winning U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team.
2003: American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Player of the Year. Golfweek's and Golf Digest's Junior of the Year
2004: Named Amateur of the Year by both Golfweek and Golf Digest. Member of winning Curtis Cup team. Winner of the LPGA Tour Qualifying School.

[edit] Professional career
On May 22, 2005, Creamer won the Sybase Classic tournament in New Rochelle, New York at 18 years 9 months and 17 days. This made her the second-youngest first time winner of an LPGA tournament after Marlene Bauer-Hagge, whose first victory was in 1952.[1][2]

On July 23, she added a win in the Evian Masters tournament in France, a tournament co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour, and recognized as a major by the Ladies European Tour and became the youngest and quickest player to reach $1 million in LPGA career earnings.[3] In August 2005 she won the NEC Open on the Japan LPGA tour.

Creamer earned a spot on the 2005 Solheim Cup Team, the youngest player to do so.[4]

Creamer's third LPGA Tour win came in February 2007 at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay. She won her fourth LPGA victory at The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions in November 2007.

Creamer currently has endorsements deals with Taylor Made, Adidas, RBS, NEC. Kraft & Sundog Eyewear.[5][6]


[edit] Professional wins (6)