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Paula Creamer recharged as LPGA Tour returns to USA for Founders Cup
By John Nicholson
Published on
PHOENIX – Paula Creamer has had two weeks to savor "The Putt" in her HSBC Women's Champions playoff victory in Singapore. She also got to catch her breath and recharge for this week's JTBC Founders Cup.
"It was nice to have two weeks off after that and just truly enjoy it," Creamer said Wednesday after completing preparations for the first round Thursday at Desert Ridge's Wildfire Golf Club.
"You can kind of regroup and then come back out and play. It's hard to go tournament, tournament, tournament and do well and to win back to back."
In Singapore, she made a big-breaking, downhill 75-foot eagle putt on the second extra hole to beat Azahara Munoz in shocking fashion.
The Founders Cup is the fifth event of the season and first in the United States. Creamer is trying to become the third player in four years to complete a Singapore-Phoenix sweep, following Karrie Webb in 2011 and Stacy Lewis last year.
Lewis also ended a long streak in Singapore, tying for 40th to stop her top-10 run at 13. She won the 2013 Ricoh Women's British Open and had four second-place finishes during the streak that came with an asterisk because she withdrew because of illness in Canada after an opening 74.
"I would have traded a couple of wins for a few less top-10s," Lewis said.
The third-ranked Lewis struggled in Singapore after opening the year with a second-place finish in the Bahamas, a tie for sixth in Australia and a tie for fifth in Thailand.
"It made me go home and kind of focus on a few things and get my golf swing back under control a little bit," Lewis said. "It was so good at the Bahamas and it just kind of slid a little bit from there."
Last year at Wildfire Golf Club, Lewis closed with an 8-under 64 to beat Ai Miyazato by three strokes and jump from third to first in the world.
"It's fun to be back and to have those good memories," Lewis said.
Top-ranked Inbee Park is coming off a victory in China in the Ladies European Tour's World Ladies Championship. She has been No. 1 for 49 weeks.
"Being on the center of the stage and being in the spotlight, I think I've enjoyed that," Park said. "At the same time, I think that is the toughest part of it."
No. 2 Suzann Pettersen, second behind Park in China, can take the No. 1 spot with a victory if Park ties for second with at least three other players or finishes third or worse.
Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods' niece, received a sponsor exemption after she won the LET's Australian Ladies Masters last month.
"To be able to have that win under my belt really helps me know that I'm capable of that," Woods said. "Every time I come out here to play, I do come out to win."
