May 4, 2008 5 min read

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. (AP) – Paula Creamer made two long birdie putts to pull away from the field Saturday in the SemGroup Championship, only to drop two shots on the closing holes for the third straight day to give her challengers a chance. But that small group chasing her doesn’t include the player everyone expected to see.

Lorena Ochoa, going for her record-tying fifth straight LPGA Tour victory, lost momentum with back-to-back bogeys and wound up eight shots behind, needing the best comeback of her career.

“I still think I can win,” Ochoa said. “I think Annika won before coming from 10 shots behind. It could happen.”

It doesn’t look likely, even with Creamer still trying to figure out how to stop making bogeys with the finish line in sights. A three-putt on the 16th and a bogey from the bunker on the 18th gave her a 2-under 69 and a two-shot lead over Juli Inkster.

Inkster, a 47-year-old with two daughters and seven majors, turned in a tournament-best 67 in more blustery conditions, ending her solid round with a 20-foot par putt on the 18th hole after trouble in the trees.

“I got myself in position to at least give it a run,” Inkster said.

Creamer was at 3-under 210 and will play in the final pairing Sunday with Inkster, at 212 the only other player under par.

Brittany Lang, who tied for second at the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open while still an amateur, had a 71 to finish at 1-over 214, with Angela Stanford (71) and Leta Lindley (72) another shot behind.

Ochoa closed with six pars for an even-par 71 and was at 5-over 218, putting her in unfamiliar territory. She has won five of her six tournaments this year by a combined 37 shots.

“We’re looking at it from a different perspective,” she said. “I’m going to be positive and hopefully do good tomorrow.”

Wachovia Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Quail Hollow Club’s tree-lined, old-style setup has produced an impressive list of winners, ranging from Vijay Singh to Jim Furyk to last year’s champion, Tiger Woods.

With Woods unable to defend his Wachovia Championship title following knee surgery, Anthony Kim moved a step away from joining that elite list – a month shy of his 23rd birthday.

The steady, focused, and less flamboyant Kim shot a 6-under 66 to take a four-shot lead over Jason Bohn and Heath Slocum after the third round.

While Kim still sports the signature belt buckle with his initials, the big hitter’s recent focus on his game left him at 13-under and as close as ever to his first PGA Tour win.

Kim passed Bohn, the second-round leader and playing partner, by sinking a 9-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole. Kim added another birdie at No. 14, then navigated through the course’s tough closing stretch with his best golf of the round.

After getting up and down for par on the 17th, Kim ripped a 324-yard drive on No. 18 before his second shot landed 7 feet from the cup. He made the putt and calmly walked off the course well ahead of one of the strongest non-major fields on the tour.

Bohn’s chip-in for par on the 18th gave him a 72 and a second-place tie with Slocum, who charged into contention by holing out for eagle on the 15th hole. Slocum shot a 68 and will be paired with Stewart Cink on Sunday. Cink was tied with Dudley Hart at 8 under.

They’ll all chase Kim, who has quickly dismissed early talk of a sophomore slump.

After three missed cuts and no finish better than 30th in six tournaments, Kim decided he was “talking a little bit more than I was practicing.” His renewed focus led to his tie for second at the Verizon Heritage last month.

Bohn, who entered the day with a two-shot lead over Kim, missed birdie putts on 13 and 14, then bogeyed the par-5 15th. That allowed Kim to roar past him.

Kim was born in Los Angeles and was the NCAA freshman of the year at Oklahoma in 2004. He turned pro after his junior year and burst onto the PGA Tour by tying for second in the Texas Open in 2006.

As the youngest rookie on the PGA Tour in 2007, Kim had four top-10 finishes – including a seventh-place finish at Quail Hollow.

Phil Mickelson recovered from two double bogeys in his final four holes Friday to shoot a 69. He was at 5 under, but Kim’s strong finish left him eight shots back.

FedEx Kinko’s Classic

LAKEWAY, Texas – Nick Price moved a step closer to his first Champions Tour victory, shooting a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the FedEx Kinko’s Classic.

Price had a tournament-record 12-under 132 total on The Hills Country Club course.

Scott Simpson and Loren Roberts, who teamed together last week in the Legends of Golf tournament, were tied for second after matching 66s.

Tim Simpson (69) and Denis Watson (70) were five strokes back at 7 under.

Spanish Open

SEVILLE, Spain – Ignacio Garrido of Spain shot an even-par 72 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Spanish Open.

Garrido three-putted for a bogey at the par-4 18th hole, but still led countryman Miguel Angel Jimenez (67) with a 15-under total of 201. Garrido shot a course record 63 on Friday.

Garrido’s father, Antonio, won the Spanish Open in 1972 – less than three weeks after Ignacio was born – and the pair could become the first father-son duo to win the same European Tour event.

Mark Foster of England (68), Denmark’s Soren Hansen (67) and Paraguay’s Marco Ruiz were four strokes behind at 205.

English amateur Danny Willett was nine under through 14 before a bogey at No. 15 and three straight pars to finish with a 64 – the day’s lowest round. He was seven shots back of Garrido.

Copyright Associate Press 2008