Creamer takes the lead in US Women’s Open

Paula Creamer holds pole position in the LPGA Tour’s third major of the season – the US Women’s Open at Oakmont Country Club. Despite continuing pain in her thumb following recent surgery, Creamer holds a three-shot lead over nearest purser, Wendy Ward but will have to return to the course early Sunday to complete her third round after officials called play to a halt following fading light.

Playing in only her fourth tournament since returning to competition following thumb surgery in February, Creamer was the only player in the field to be under par for the tournament at one-under after playing 49 holes.

Creamer, 23 has won eight times on the LPGA but has failed to deliver in the major tournaments. However, she will be hoping to rectify that – providing her thumb can stand up to the stresses.
It’s tired,” the Californian said of her thumb after playing 29 holes on Saturday. “My whole left hand is pretty tired. That’s to be expected. I played just a lot of golf today. But I’ll get some ice on it. I’ll probably sleep with an ice bag on my hand. I’m afraid to take this tape off. My thumb is just going to explode out of it.”
While Creamer is at the top of the leader board, the leader in the clubhouse is Alexis Thompson, the 15-year-old sensation who turned professional last month. She shot 1-under 70 to finish at 4-over 217 and into a tie for fourth place. Despite her young years, Thompson is competing in her fourth US Open but shares that lofty position on the leaderboard with Amy Yang and Brittany Lang.

Suzann Petterson lies in third spot, while there is a four-way tie for seventh with Natalie Gulbis, Jeong Jang, In Kyung Kim and Christina Kim sharing the mark. Christie Kerr, who won the preceding Major tournament and two of her last three starts shares a tie for 11th place with Jiyai Shin and five others.

Creamer hopes to defend title at Torrey Pines

When the LGPA returns to Torrey Pines this week, it will be the first time in over 25 years that the ladies circuit has staged a tournament over the San Diego, California course and Paula Creamer will be seeking to defend her Samsung World Championship title when play gets underway on Thursday.

However, competition for the $1million top-prize will undoubtedly be fierce despite there being only 20 players in the field – 17 of the top 20 players on this season’s money list make up the field for the tournament and includes South Korean rookie Shin Ji-yai, who currently leads the LPGA tour in earnings and is bidding to become the first woman since Nancy Lopez to finish top of the money list and win the rookie of the year award in the same year.

Also in competition will be all four of the season’s LPGA major winners – Brittany Lincicome (Kraft Nabisco Championship), Anna Nordqvist (LPGA Championship), Ji Eun-hee (US Women’s Open) and Catriona Matthew (Women’s British Open) – as well as world number one Lorena Ochoa and European Tour money list leader Sophie Gustafson.

Creamer has yet to win on the tour this season but has several top-ten finishes to her name. She has also amassed six top-three finishes but is without a win since her triumph in 2008 at this event, which was played at Half Moon Bay Golf Links, California.

The Torrey Pines course has not been used as an LPGA championship venue since 1983, and the Samsung event will be only the second time the course has been used by the tour. It is a regular on the men’s circuit, however, and men’s world number one Tiger Woods won the US Open over the course in 2008.

Veteran player Juli Inkster will be the only competitor in the Samsung event who competed over Torrey Pines the last time an LPGA event was held at the course.

Wie puts studies first

Michelle Wie has put her schooling ahead of her golf career after informing organisers of the LGPA Challenge tournament that she will be unable to take part.

The tournament, which takes place between September 24th-27th at Blackhawk Country Club conflicts with the beginning of Wie’s autumn quarter classes at Stanford University. The scheduling conflict means that Wie has yet to play in a tournament in North Carolina.

Wie is in her first full season on the LPGA and although has yet to win on the Tour, she has earned just under $600,000 and carded six top-ten finishes in her sixteen events to date.

Players have until September 18th to confirm their participation in the Blackhawk event and despite the absence of Wie there is still an expected strong field for the lineup with Wie’s fellow Solheim Cup team-mates Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis in attendance along with current world ladies’ number one, Lorena Ochoa.

Injured Creamer aims to compete in LPGA Corning Classic

Golf glamour girl, Paula Creamer has been passed fit to compete in the LPGA’s Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic at Highland Meadows Golf Club, where she is the defending champion and also to play in next week’s US Women’s Open. The certification fame from the hand and wrist specialist she consulted on Monday in Toledo, Ohio.

Creamer was forced to withdraw from the Wegmans LPGA tournament last Friday due to injury; she was diagnosed with tendonitis and inflammation of the joint capsule of her left thumb. The specialist she saw gave her an injection of cortisone and providing she can withstand the undoubted pain she’ll suffer in the course of playing golf, the specialist believes there will be no lasting injury.

Creamer had injured her hand during the second round of the Wegmans and left the tournament sporting a heavily strapped left hand. After some light putting following the injection, Creamer intends to try and play nine holes ahead of her title defence, and she will be hopeful of making the lineup following a disappointing season thus far that has been blighted with illness and injury.

Creamer is already an eight-time winner on the LPGA, although she hasn’t mustered a win so far in 2009. She has recorded one runners-up finish and three third places and currently lies fourth in the world rankings and eighth on this month’s money list.

The Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic tournament brings together nine of the top ten woman golfers in the world and names joining Creamer in the lineup include Natalie Gulbis, Lorena Ochoa and Juli Inkster.

Miss Scotland takes up Golf; tackles the Extreme 19th

Move over Natalie Gulbis and Paula Creamer – there’s a new kid in town. Reigning Miss Scotland, Stephanie Willemse has been taking golf lessons, and may (or may not) be gunning for the title of golf’s number one when it comes to glamour in the future.

Glaswegian Stephanie, 21, graced the hallowed links at St. Andrews – the Home of Golf – late last year before jetting off to South Africa to represent Scotland in the Miss World contest. While at St. Andrews, Stephanie had a golf lesion at the Golf Academy from instructor Steve North, which was followed by a visit to the Old Course.

Once in South Africa, Stephanie put her new-found golf skills to the test, as she and other Miss World contestants, including Miss England (Laura Coleman) took part in tackling the world’s most exciting golf hole – the Extreme 19th at Legend Golf & Safari Resort. The tee, which sits a massive 430 metres above the green can only be reached by helicopter.

From the tee, which sits atop Hanglip mountain in the Entabeni Safari Conservancy in the Limpopo, the girls were tasked with not only having to traverse the 361-metre carry, but also try to land the ball on the green, which is shaped like the African continent. But before beginning, Stephanie and the other participants were given a golf lesson by the resort director, David Riddle, where the five most competent players were allowed to take on the hole.

Unfortunately, none of the girls were able to land the ball on the green, although Stephanie had obviously taken heed of her instruction both at the resort and at St. Andrews by coming close to finding the green; her tee shot measuring 320 yards but slightly off to the left.

However, the girls were in good company, as several Tour professionals have also tried and failed to land a ball on the putting surface and only two golfers have managed to make par on the hole.

The Extreme 19th represents the ultimate in golf challenges and the hole is situated next to a uniquely designed golf course. Each of the 18 holes has been individually designed by one of the world’s leading golfers, including Trevor Immelman, Padraig Harrington, Bernard Langer, Colin Montgomerie and Justin Rose. The course is due to open in March 2009.

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