Shin 1 of few big names at Jamie Farr
June 30, 2010
SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP)—New top-ranked player Cristie Kerr will be one of the manybig names missing at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, which begins onThursday.
Kerr, who won the year’s second major, the LPGA Championship, by a stunning12 shots last week, sneaked up from No. 4 in the rankings past Japan’s AiMiyazato, South Korea’s Jiyai Shin and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen.
But the American player is skipping the Jamie Farr to prepare for yetanother major next week, the U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont. Only one of thetop-seven players in the world—Shin—is in the Farr field. Just three of thetop 10 on the LPGA money list are also on hand.
No. 13 Paula Creamer is present, largely because she missed her chance todefend her title a year ago. Before the opening round, she withdrew because of aligament injury to her left thumb. A year later, she’s still hurting.
“I know that my biggest enemy is myself, just trying to do things that Ican’t do and getting upset about that,” she said. “It’s important to overcomethis little hurdle that I have to go through. This is all the process ofpost-surgery. You have to be able to break things up and get back out there andhopefully in another month or two it’ll be a little bit better.”
It is clear that things are not good now. She has played in only threetournaments this year, missing one cut with a seventh-place finish at theShopRite.
“Preparation for me right now has totally changed from last year and theyear before, because of the injury,” said Creamer, who has won eight times ontour. “I need to play more instead of hitting balls on a range. I have to beable to go out there and hit different shots.”
Instead, she must hit all but short pitch shots off a tee to avoid the shockon her thumb.
Just two years ago, Creamer came to the Farr and shot a career-best 11-under60 in the opening round that carried her to a two-shot victory.
Even after missing last year’s tournament, she persevered to have a solidyear which included 10 top-10 finishes and a primary role in leading the U.S. tovictory in the Solheim Cup. But the surgery—and the pain—has set her back.
“It’s not where I want it to be,” she said of both her thumb and her game.“I’m playing as well as I can. I’m very limited with things that I can do, soit is tough to take the next step.”
She wears an elastic bandage that circles her wrist and her thumb. But itoffers little protection.
“It’s tough. Every day … you kind of have to see how it feels that day,”she said. “I took Monday and Tuesday off from hitting balls. Yesterday I didhit some pitches. I just tried to give it a rest. But it is sore.”
Fellow American Morgan Pressel, who is No. 16, hasn’t won the Farr, butshe’s come close. She shot a 64 in the final round a year ago, but lost on thefirst hole of a playoff with Eunjung Yi. She was also second to five-timechampion Se Ri Pak in the 2007 Farr.
“I’ve been there. I’ve been close. I’ve played well on this golf course.More than anything, it just gives me confidence,” she said. “I’ve been herebefore, I know I can be close, and hopefully I can close the deal.”
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
