Creamer shoots 60 for five-stroke lead

SYLVANIA, Ohio — Paula Creamer knew she was playing well. She was surprised just how well.

Creamer birdied nine of the last 11 holes, including the final three, for a course-record 60 on the par-71 Highland Meadows layout Thursday. She held a five-stroke lead after the opening round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.

Only after she finished did she realize how close she came to golf's magic number of 59.

"I didn't know it was a par 71," Creamer said. "I thought it was a par 72. If I would have known that, who knows?"

Creamer couldn't have done much better. She would have had to hole out a 137-yard, 7-iron from the fairway to shoot 59. She rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt for her 60 — her best round on tour by four strokes.

Only a handful of players have reached 59 in a competitive round on the PGA or LPGA tours.

"We were all standing on the green and Kimmie [Mi Hyun Kim] was looking at me, 'Wow, that was unbelievable,'" Creamer said. "[I thought] what did we shoot here? Sixty? I didn't know. I didn't realize it."

The 21-year-old Creamer's round was her best by six strokes this season and broke Se Ri Pak's course mark by a shot. She matched the tour record of raw score for nine holes with a 27 on the home half.