Creamer fights back for American golf at Evian
IN: News | LPGA | Evian Masters (2005) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 24 Jul 2005
Twelve months ago there was concern regarding the domination of the USLPGA golf by foreigners. Where are the Americans and where are they likely to come from in the immediate future were the cries.
The last few months have seen those questions answered in the most emphatic fashion by the emergence of some of the most brilliant youngsters the female game has seen in recent times. Not only are they young, but the manner in which they are handling themselves at the elite level at such a young age suggests that American golf has responded to the domination by Swedes, South Koreans and Australians in the most dramatic fashion.
18-year-old Paula Creamer's simply stunning victory in this week's lucrative Evian Masters in France, further stamps her as an American who could go on and dominate the LPGA Tour like no other American has done in recent years and for good measure there was yet another young American, fifteen year old Michelle Wie, finishing strongly for a share of second with Mexico's Lorena Ochoa.
Also in that mix of the emerging Americans although not playing this week are Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang who did so well at the US Open but who are, like Wie, still amateurs.
Mind you of the next twenty two players after Creamer and Wie at the Evian Masters, only Christina Kim and Michelle Redman were born in the US so while the signs are promising there is still a ways to go for US Ladies golf.
Creamer, who was already in the middle of a stunning rookie season on the LPGA Tour, took a share of the lead the lead in round two and the further they went the further she went ahead. She entered the final day with an almost incomprehensible seven shot lead over the strongest field Ladies golf could assemble and although she started shakily with a bogey at the first today she bounced back with birdies at the 4th and 5th to settle the nerves and extend her lead.
Her eight shot win provided her with not only her second win of the season but her seventh top ten and has now moved her within US$15,000 of second placed Lorena Ochoa on the ATD Money List. Ochoa trails Annika Sorenstam by some US$508,000 on that money list. Ochoa received the full second place purse here of US$246,000 as Wie is, of course, ineligible for such prizemoney.
Michelle Wie's strong closing nine of 33 saw her move through the field to grab a share of second with the ultra consistent Ochoa and it is likely to be the first of many occasions that we see these three golfers sharing the top three spots in key events in the future.
Canadian Lorie Kane showed she is still a force to be reckoned with by producing a good weekend for 4th with Helen Alfredsson's last round of 65 seeing her improve 26 places on the final day to finish in a share of 5th. Kane's double bogey late in her round today though will haunt her given the money available at this event.
Annika Sorenstam could not get things moving forward today and when she dropped four shots in her first eight holes it was all but over and she would record her second worst finish of the year when 12th.
Of the Australians Karrie Webb threatened early in the week but a last round 75 proved costly. She started and finished well today but had a horror run in the middle of the round dropping six shots in eleven holes. There were however better signs for Webb. Shani Waugh was 20th, first round leader Lynette Brooky 44th, Rachel Hetherington 48th and defending champion Wendy Doolan 60th.
The LPGA and European Ladies Tours now head to Royal Birkdale for the Weetabix Women's British Open.
