Paula Creamer’s 75-foot putt seals HSBC Champions win
2010 US Women's Open champion could hardly believe her eyes as her shot went in on second play-off hole on a tricky Serapong course
American Paula Creamer sank a 75-foot eagle putt on the second play-off hole against Azahara Munoz to win the HSBC Women’s Champions on Sunday for her first LPGA title since the 2010 US Women’s Open.
Creamer’s putt curled across the 18th green and then rolled slowly down the slope and directly into the hole. She ran across the green, then fell to her knees and put her head on the ground, laughing and pounding the grass.
“It’s one of those putts where if you just get it in the right spot, it’s going to fall down,” she said. “But I could stand there all day long and putt that and I don’t think get it within six, seven feet.”
I’m a bit in my head right now. Just not a lot of good decisions
Creamer and Munoz finished 72 holes tied at 10-under 278, ahead of Karrie Webb who led after every round, but bogeyed three of her last six holes, giving up a three-stroke lead and finishing at 9 under.
Creamer, who trailed Webb by four strokes at the start of the day, has had a number of top-five finishes since her breakthrough win at the US Women’s Open, but had not been able to capture another title.
She was third in Singapore last year and finished in a tie for third twice to start this season: at the Women’s Australian Open and the Bahamas LPGA Classic.
“This has been such a long time coming,” she said.