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Monday, May 05, 2008

LPGA Tour News

Paula Creamer wins play-off
against Juli Inkster

FROM THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE
BROKEN ARROW, Tex., May 4, 2008 – 21-year-old Paula Creamer said she erased the memory of her first LPGA playoff loss last week before she stepped off the plane in Tulsa on Tuesday afternoon, but a bogey on the 72nd hole of regulation at Cedar Ridge CC brought those memories flooding back in.
It took Creamer two sudden-death play-off holes, but eventually she prevailed over good friend and U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Juli Inkster at the SemGroup Championship Presented by John Q. Hammons.
“I was not going to lose this week,” said Creamer, who fired rounds of 70-71-69-72 on the week. “I was going to win this golf tournament, and I did in the play-off. Unfortunately, it had to go into a play-off, but I can tell you I was 120 percent prepared going into that from last week.”
Last week, Creamer lost in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff to Annika Sorenstam after losing the lead on the 71st hole of regulation at the Stanford International Pro-Am in Aventura, Fla. This week, Creamer had chances to win the tournament on the 72nd hole and the first hole of sudden-death playoff where she missed similar 12-foot putts, but the third time was a charm as she rolled in an eight-footer to defeat Inkster and take home the $270,000 first-place check. It marks Creamer's sixth career LPGA Tour victory and second this season (Fields Open in Hawaii). Creamer is now 1-1 in playoffs in her career and has won four of eight events when she led entering the final round.
Inkster (72-73-67-70=282) walked onto the 18th hole Sunday down by two strokes, but she found herself in familiar position after draining an 18-footer for birdie, her third of the day, and watching Creamer bogey. Last year, Inkster lost in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff to Mi Hyun Kim.
“I'm encouraged by the way I'm playing, but I'm frustrated that I… just didn't seem like me out there today,” said Inkster, who earned $166,426 on Sunday. “I just couldn't get a feel for the putting.”
The SemGroup Championship's format was increased from 54-holes to 72-holes in the 2008.
Ochoa sneaks into top-5.
Rolex Rankings number one Lorena Ochoa fell short in her effort to tie the LPGA record for most consecutive wins in tournaments participated, but she did manage to earn her seventh top-10 finish in seven starts this season at the SemGroup Championship Presented by John Q. Hammons.
In a week where she carded two over-par rounds for the first time since the 2006 Weetabix Women's British Open, Ochoa managed just seven birdies – including a second round with no sub-pars – on her way to 3-over-par (73-74-71-69=287) and $62,719 in prize money.Ochoa still leads the Tour in birdies (131), Rolex Player of the Year points (189), greens in regulation (77.4%), rounds under par (23 of 27) and scoring average (68.44).
Catriona Matthew from North Berwick earned $24,055 for a seven-over-par total of 291, made up of rounds of 73, 75, 71 and 72. She finished joint 14th.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 284 (4 x 71)
282 Paula Creamer 70 71 69 72, Juli Inkster 72 73 67 70 (Creamer won at second play-off hole)
286 Angela Stanford 73 71 71 71, Jeong Jang (Kor) 73 72 73 68
287 Lorena Ochoa (Mex) 73 74 71 69, Brittany Lang 72 71 71 73, Dorothy Delasin 78 72 69 68
288 Jimin Kang (Kor) 82 70 69 67
289 Jee Young Lee (Kor) 75 69 74 71, Carin Koch (Swe) 72 73 74 70, Leta Lindley 71 72 72 74
290 Ji-Young Oh (Kor) 70 72 76 72, Jin Joo Hong (Kor) 74 73 75 68
291 Johanna Head 74 73 73 71, Taylor Leon 73 75 72 71, Ai Miyazato (Jpn) 71 73 75 72, Jamie Hullett 74 71 73 73, Catriona Matthew 73 75 71 72, Julieta Granada (Par) 76 74 72 69, Danielle Downey 74 71 75 71
292 Vicky Hurst 71 75 73 73, Linda Wessberg (Swe) 75 73 73 71
293 Jane Park 74 74 72 73, Laura Diaz 76 75 71 71, Meaghan Francella 76 74 72 71, Cristie Kerr 72 78 73 70, Su A Kim 73 72 76 72, In-Bee Park (Kor) 77 73 74 69
294 Seon Hwa Lee (Kor) 74 77 72 71, Na Yeon Choi (Kor) 75 70 75 74, Diana D'Alessio 74 71 77 72, Pat Hurst 74 72 73 75, Candie Kung (Tai) 77 72 77 68
295 Beth Bader 72 75 77 71
296 Minea Blomqvist (Fin) 74 77 71 74, Heather Young 79 70 74 73, Laura Davies 74 77 76 69, Nicole Perrot (Chi) 78 74 73 71, Na On Min (Jpn) 77 68 78 73, Moira Dunn 76 74 74 72, Christina Kim 75 73 72 76, Helen Alfredsson (Swe) 73 74 77 72
297 Michelle Ellis 79 73 74 71, Young Kim (Kor) 74 76 75 72, Meena Lee (Kor) 73 71 81 72, Sarah Kemp (Aus) 78 74 70 75
298 Kristy McPherson 76 72 78 72, Hee Young Park (Kor) 69 75 80 74
299 Mi-Hyun Kim (Kor) 70 77 76 76, Teresa Lu (Tai) 73 76 76 74, Seo-Jae Lee 75 74 74 76, Ashli Bunch 74 78 75 72
300 Karen Stupples 78 72 72 78, Irene Cho 77 74 76 73, Emily Bastel 76 74 78 72, Maria Hjorth (Swe) 74 74 79 73
301 Hannah Jun 79 73 74 75, Sophie Giquel (Fra) 76 74 79 72, Eun Hee Ji (Kor) 74 76 79 72, Karin Sjodin (Swe) 74 75 76 76, Lee Ann Walker-Cooper 78 74 78 71
302 Jill McGill 76 75 78 73, Beth Allen 78 73 77 74, Allison Hanna-Williams 79 72 78 73, Katherine Hull (Aus) 76 75 75 76, Kris Tamulis 75 77 77 73
303 Jennifer Rosales (Phi) 77 73 78 75, Lisa Strom (Gb) 75 77 75 76
308 Cindy Pasechnik 79 73 80 76
312 Hye Jung Choi (Kor) 78 74 82 78

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