Lorena Ochoa, the top-ranked woman golfer is the world, racked up her 25th LPGA career victory this past weekend as she won the Honda LPGA tournament in Thailand. Ochoa trailed third-place finisher Paula Creamer by three strokes going into the final round, but her six-under round of 66 was more than enough to secure her the trophy. Hee Young Park of South Korea finished second.

Said Ochoa to the Associated Press, “It has been a great week. My goal was to win the tournament. Here I am with the trophy and I am very pleased. I played especially well.”

The field at the Honda LPGA Thailand was the strongest group of women golfers ever assembled in Asia. The tour continues to Singapore this week for the HSBC Women’s Champions Tournament. Ochoa is the defending champion in that event.

(photo credit: Newscom)

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Paula Creamer went wire-to-wire to win the LPGA’s Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, played just outside of Toledo this past weekend. Creamer broke the tournament record on Thursday with an 11 under.

This is Creamer’s 7th career win and her third win this year. It is especially appropriate for the 21-year-old, California native to win the Jamie Farr since she represents Owens Corning in their advertisements and is known for her pink apparel, golf balls, and golf accessories. (Pink is the color of Owens Corning insulation.) She is pictured above with the Pink Panther, another Owens Corning spokesman.

^{(photo © Mary Penchett, Toledo Ohio/courtesy of PR Newswire Photo Service)}

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Twenty-one year old Paula Creamer won the SemGroup Championship yesterday, ending Lorena Ochoa’s bid (at least for now) to win five consecutive LPGA championships. But, it wasn’t easy.

Creamer blew a two-shot lead on the final hole, forcing a playoff with 47-year-old Juli Inkster. Creamer finally won the playoff by sinking an eight-foot birdie putt.

This win is Creamer’s sixth career win and second this year. (She won the Fields Open in February.)

^{(photo © Newcom)}

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If the first two rounds of the HSBC Open in Singapore are any indication, this is going to be an exciting LPGA season (as if we didn’t already suspect that). Last year’s top-ranked player, Lorena Ochoa, debuted at this event and marched right to the top of the leader board. She finished Thursday’s round with a one stroke lead at six under and returned to shoot a seven under on Friday.

Trailing Ochoa by seven strokes are last week’s Fields Open champion, Paula Creamer; Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam (never one to be counted out); and South Korea’s In-Kyung Kim.

The tournament finished on Saturday.

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Paula Creamer won the LPGA’s Fields Open Saturday, pulling ahead of Jeong Jang on the back nine by birdeying four of the last five holes. Her -16 for the tournament earned her $195,000 and a stay for two at Tucson’s exclusive Canyon Ranch spa.

Jang finished second with -13 and Annika Sorenstam finished at -12 for fourth place, making her the leading money winner so far this short season. Michelle Wie, who began the season with this tournament, ran out of steam during the final round, ending the event at +6.

This is Creamer’s five LPGA win since joining the tour in 2005. She’s off to a great start. Does she have what it takes to challenge Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam for the top ladies moneywinner this year?

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The ladies of the LPGA begin the 2008 season this week in Hawaii at the SBS Open, played on the Arnold Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort in Hawaii. The field of 138 golfers, led by defending champion Paula Creamer, includes Annika Sorenstam, Suzann Petterson, and Natalie Gublis. Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa is sitting this week out.

The three-day tournament begins on Thursday, February 14 and concludes on Saturday. It is being broadcast on the Golf Channel each evening.

^{(photo of Paula Creamer © Forrest C Smith III/cc license)}

Post from: Green Posse