PALM DESERT, CALIF. – Paula Creamer and Angela Park shot 5-under-par 67s on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the Samsung World Championship, while Michelle Wie was last in the 20-player field after a 79.
The two front-runners have something else in common – the 21-year-old Creamer was the LPGA Tour’s rookie of the year in 2005, and the 19-year- old Park has already clinched the honor this year.
Defending champion Lorena Ochoa led most of the round, but a late lapse cost her when she made a double bogey on the final hole to drop into a three-way tie with Morgan Pressel and Mi Hyun Kim at 68.
Michelle Wie, who turned 18 on Thursday, continued to struggle.
“All the putts looked like they were going to go in, but they didn’t,” Wie said. “Obviously, I had a couple of stray tee shots. But there’s always tomorrow.”
Casey, Els advance at match play
VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND – Defending champion Paul Casey and six-time winner Ernie Els advanced to the second round of the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth.
Top-seeded Casey beat Jerry Kelly 3 and 2. Els easily defeated Colin Montgomerie 6 and 5. U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera had 11 birdies to beat Retief Goosen 6 and 5.
Padraig Harrington, Rory Sabbatini and Justin Rose lost. Anders Hansen beat Harrington 4 and 2, Soren Hansen defeated Sabbatini 4 and 3, and Hunter Mahan downed Rose 6 and 5.
“There will be a lot of soul-searching as to why I’m playing well and couldn’t produce it today,” said Harrington, who bogeyed three of the first five holes. “Losing in the first round is very disappointing because I was thinking of going all the way.”
Two matches did not finish because of a two-hour fog delay in the morning.
Henrik Stenson and Woody Austin were all square after 35 holes, and Andres Romero led Niclas Fasth 2 up after 32 holes. They will be completed this morning before the second round.
May tops Open leaderboard
LAS VEGAS – Practically playing in his backyard, Bob May shot a 9-under 63 at TPC Summerlin to top the leaderboard in the Open. Jason Gore finished with an 8-under 63 on the nearby par-71 TPC The Canyons.
Gore will play the Summerlin course today and May at Canyons, then everyone will tee off at Summerlin for the final two rounds this weekend.
Vancsik leads Madrid Open
MADRID, SPAIN – Daniel Vancsik shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Jose Filipe Lima after the first round of the Madrid Open.
