Nausea can't stop Creamer rising to the top

Published on 05/03/2009 21:53

A POORLY Paula Creamer battled the chills and nausea to shoot five-under-par 67 for a share of the first-round lead at the $2 million HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore.

The American shares top spot with compatriot Jane Park and Brazil's Angela Park at the LPGA event in the south-east Asian city state, with South Korea's Lee Seon-hwa and Ai Miyazato of Japan a shot further back at four under. Defending champion and world No 1 Lorena Ochoa is two shots off the pace after shooting a three-under 69.

"I went through several different symptoms," said Creamer after carding six birdies and a lone bogey at the Tanah Merah Country Club. "At the beginning I was very sick, very nauseous, and in the middle my body felt terrible – chills and aching. I just toughed it out and tried to make the best of it."

Play was suspended for about an hour in the afternoon amid dark skies and the threat of lightning but South Korean Lee faced an interruption of a different kind when a four-foot monitor lizard meandered across her line at the last hole.

Lee, who lit up the front nine at five under par, missed a short putt to bogey the hole and fall into a tie for second.

The suspension of play came when Creamer had a four-foot birdie putt on the last and she made it after waiting almost an hour. "I'd rather have to putt than come out and have to play a couple of extra holes," she said. "But I was just kind of bummed that we didn't get to finish so I could go home.

"For some reason when I'm sick I tend to play a little better than I normally do. I don't know what it is."

Ochoa, who won last year's tournament by 11 strokes after shooting four rounds under 70, said she was well placed to defend her title. "I need to be a little bit more aggressive and hopefully I could go a little bit lower," said the Mexican.

Scotland's Catriona Mathew was the best of the British with a level-par 72. Karen Stupples shot 73, Janice Moodie 74 and Becky Morgan 79. England's Laura Davies endured a torrid first round as she carded nine bogeys for a nine-over-par 81.