Paula Creamer in position for her first victory since 2014
Paula Creamer has been working hard on her game with her team, and the hard work has so far paid off at the Shoprite LPGA Classic presented by ACER, as she’s tied for the lead heading into the final round Sunday.
Saturday Creamer fired a 4-under-par 67 and sits 9-under through two rounds and said she’s been playing well.
“I’ve only had one bogey the last two days. It’s definitely positive. I missed just three greens today. I’ve given myself a lot of opportunities and I like playing in tougher conditions, she said. “There were some good pins out there that we had to think about a bit. I played solid.
Golf has a way of beating you down, and Creamer admitted as such Saturday.
“It’s hard, I’ve had some pretty bad, sad moments,” she said. “I love this game. I love working hard. I love everything about it. I still have such a drive and a passion for getting back to where I want to be. The team around me is awesome and they know my goals. I think that’s really important… everybody understands what you want. I want to be in contention every week.”
Creamer managed to scramble for an all-world par on her final hole of the day after hitting a poor approach shot.
“I actually was just below the fescue. It was kind of in but kind of out of it, but it was a hole, it wasn’t like it was in rough. It was actually kind of in a dead area, so it would be tough to even just rip through it and try to get it up that fast. I had no idea how it would react,” she said of her conundrum on the 18th hole. “I knew at worst I was going to make bogey, taking a one-shot penalty. I hit a great pitch and an even better shot to save par. It’s nice. That will make dinner taste a little bit better tonight.
Creamer will head into Sunday after firing her best 36-hole total of 2017 tied for the lead with In-Kyung Kim.
In-Kyung Kim’s hot start has her tied for the lead
Despite two bogeys on the card Saturday, South Korea’s In-Kyung Kim was in the lead at 9-under-par for most of the day before being tied with Paula Creamer at day’s end.
Kim finished her day with back-to-back birdies on No’s 17 and 18 after teeing off in the morning wave. She said playing in the morning gave her an advantage as the wind wasn’t as severe and the greens were rolling well.
She was a winner in 2016 and had high expectations coming into this year. But she said Saturday she’s more so focused on just playing well versus winning.
“I won last year. I feel like I’ve been in contention quite a bit. But for me, just playing my best is my goal,” she explained. “Winning is the bonus I think and not in my control anyway.”
Kim has only played six tournaments so far in 2017 – her best finish was a tie for 16th at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey – saying she fell down the stairs last year and needed a lot of time to recover from that.
“I fell on the stair and just wasn’t good,” she said. “I have a good support team with me, so everything is really good. I think I got stronger actually after that injury.
“This winter I didn’t have any break so I needed some time to get ready for the summer. I’m really happy to get back,” Kim continued. “I have a new caddie on my bag and this week has been very fun.”
Moriya Jutanugarn just two shots back of the lead
While sister Ariya is confirmed to take over the No.1 spot on the Rolex Rankings, Moriya Jutanugarn is having herself a great weekend as well.
Through two rounds Moriya is just two shots back of the lead at 7-under. She shot a 1-under-par 70 Saturday with two birdies and one bogey and said she was playing pretty solid golf.
“I feel great,” she said. “(Today) was fun. They always have really good feedback here, people come out and watch a lot.
Moriya said her game plan for Sunday’s finale is just to keep playing her own game.
“I want to be myself on the golf course and just keep having fun,” she said. “I just hope I can play another solid day.”
Anna Nordqvist stalls on Saturday
It wasn’t the Saturday two-time defending champion Anna Nordqvist was looking for, but she remains just two shots back of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
Nordqvist remained at 7-under after an even-par 71 Saturday. She made two birdies but had two-straight bogeys on No’s 11 and 12. She said the wind was whipping around the Stockton Seaview Golf Club.
“I feel like I played really solid. The wind really kicked up and I was surprised how strong it was, especially from No.4 onwards. Just made it really hard. A couple holes played really long,” she said.
In order for the Swede to three-peat, she said she’ll have to go out Sunday and be aggressive.
“I feel like I’m hitting the shots I need to hit. Just a matter of making a few more putts,” she explained. “Going to be the same conditions for everyone tomorrow and I think that benefits me. I have nothing to lose tomorrow. I obviously like this track so I’m excited.”
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