Creamer Takes 4-Shot Lead Into Final Round
Paula Creamer has a four stroke lead going into the final day of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
(Tony Dejak - AP)
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Sunday, July 13, 2008
Paula Creamer is finding out how hard it is to win while leading from start to finish on the LPGA Tour.
The rest of the field is discovering how hard it is to catch her.
Creamer shot a 1-under-par 70 yesterday, 10 more shots than she needed in the first round, but still held a four-stroke lead after three rounds of the Jamie Farr Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.
"You know, winning wire-to-wire -- that's difficult to do," said Creamer, who stands at 18-under 195 through 54 holes at Highland Meadows. "There's a lot of pressure on you in that situation, especially when you shoot a 60 the first day and anything higher than that everybody thinks, 'What's going on? What's wrong?' "
South Korea's Eun-Hee Ji, playing in her first full year on the tour, is in second place. She shot a 68 to cut two strokes off Creamer's lead but wasn't pleased with her own play.
"Today you could see that Paula didn't have her best day, but at the same time I wasn't really having my 'A' game as well," Ji said through an interpreter.
Ji could have made a bigger dent in the lead. She missed a 10-foot putt at No. 16. Then, moments after Creamer saved par with a seven-foot putt at the closing hole, Ji missed a six-footer for birdie.
Creamer set the course record with her opening 60 and had a 65 in the second round.
"Obviously, I wasn't very pleased with the way I played today," she said. "But at the same time I have a pretty significant lead going into tomorrow."
Creamer, who is going for her seventh career win and third of the year, could break the 72-hole tournament record (23 under) held by Se Ri Pak.
Rachel Hetherington, winner of the Farr in 2002, had a 67 and was alone in third at 202.
Defending champion Se Ri Pak, trying to become the first LPGA player to win the same tournament six times, had a 72 that left her 14 shots back.
· PGA TOUR: Kenny Perry, seeking his third victory in five starts, birdied the 18th hole to move into a three-way tie for the lead through three rounds at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill.
Perry shot 4-under 67 for the day to put him at 15-under 198. That ties him with Eric Axley (67) and Brad Adamonis (66), who at 35 is the PGA Tour's oldest rookie.
Jay Williamson (62) and second-round leader Will MacKenzie (70) were one stroke back.
· EUROPEAN PGA TOUR: Graeme McDowell and Simon Khan shared the Scottish Open lead and Phil Mickelson was six shots back after the third round in Luss.
