After losing a 2-shot lead on Juli Inkster on the final hole in regulation of the SemGroup Championship and facing her second playoff against a Hall of Famer in as many weeks, Paula Creamer could easily have figured she was snakebit in Tulsa. Her 3rd consecutive bogey on the 18th hole (and 4th straight over-par finish in her final 3 holes), coupled with Inkster's dropped 18-foot birdie putt, could have left her hanging her head. But this time her hands weren't shaking and she came away with the win, thanks to an 8-footer for birdie on the 2nd playoff hole.
While we wait for Hound Dog's recap and highlights, be sure to check out the LPGA.com overview and interviews, Doug Ferguson's AP story, and Mulligan Stu's reflections on Creamer's win--her 6th overall and her first without her dad in attendance.
Also finishing well were Jeong Jang (whose 68 pulled her even with Angela Stanford for 3rd place), Dorothy Delasin (whose 68 tied her with Lorena Ochoa and Brittany Lang for 5th despite a 78 on Thursday), and Jimin Kang (whose 67 was her 3rd-straight under-par round and netted her a solo 8th place despite her opening-round 82). Delasin and Kang, by the way, were the only two players in the field to break 70 at Cedar Ridge twice. I was pleased to see Jee Young Lee (71) hang in there for a top 10, Ai Miyazato (72) do the same for a top 15 (tied with New Yorker Danielle Downey!), Vicky Hurst (74) hang on for a T21, and Moira Dunn finish solidly at T35 (with the likes of Christina Kim, Minea Blomqvist, and Na On Min). New Yorker Meaghan Francella hung in there this week, too, and got a T23 for her efforts--her first good finish in a very long time (and tied with #1 New Yorker Laura Diaz). And fellow slumping Junior Mint Julieta Granada did her a couple better, tying Ai-chan for 14th place in her best finish since last year's U.S. Open and almost doubling her 2008 winnings in the process. Looks to me, though, that Jee Young Lee just jumped to the head of her class and generation on the money list this year--and into the top 10 overall.
But wins are the real currency on the LPGA and with hers Creamer has come very close to pulling even with Sorenstam as Ochoa's top competition. Meanwhile, Jang and Lee made up ground on Suzann Pettersen, while Stanford made a case to join the top 10 and Inkster the top 15 of the next Best of the LPGA ranking here. It'll be interesting to see whether those who suffered the past two weeks in a row play stronger in the Michelob Ultra Open than those who sat out this week--and how Sorenstam responds to Ochoa's struggles and Creamer's victory! Who says there's no competition on the LPGA now?
[Update 1 (8:52 am): Hound Dog's final-round play-by-play was worth the wait!]
[Update 2 (5/6/08, 3:02 am): Hound Dog's highlights and epilogue are not to be missed!]
[Update 3 (3:21 am): And be sure to check out Ryan Ballengee's reflections on what Creamer's win means for her and the LPGA.]
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