The Monday Recap: Paula Creamer

Paula Creamer at last year's CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge. Courtesy of McClatchy-Tribune News Service.

Former IMG Academies standout Paula Creamer improved each day in this week's LPGA Tour Safeway Classic in North Plains, Ore.

Creamer fired a final-round 68 to earn over $76,000 for fourth place. The honorary Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club member finished two shots back of Suzann Pettersen, who defeated Na Yeon Choi in a playoff to claim the title.

Other Manatee County players didn't fare quite as well as Creamer.

Jaclyn Sweeney, who shares a coach with Creamer at IMG, and Bradenton native Jessica Korda missed the cut in the 54-hole tournament.

Both rookies struggled to put anything together in their two individual rounds, with the 18-year-old Korda ballooning to an 80 on Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club's par-71 Ghost Creek Course in Saturday's second round.

Meanwhile, Creamer didn't just get close to the winner's circle. She was named to the 2011 United States Solheim Cup team.

Creamer earned an automatic berth onto the 12-player team for next month's event in Ireland, which was announced by captain Rosie Jones with her two captain's picks on Sunday night.

LPGA Tour's Safeway Classic First Round

Locals are struggling at the difficult Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club's Ghost Creek course in North Plains, Ore.

Three players with Bradenton ties are in the field for this week's LPGA Tour Safeway Classic, and all three are over par at the moment.
Paula Creamer is 1-over par through 14 holes, while Jaclyn Sweeney is 4-over par through 10 holes.

The pair are IMG Academy alums with Creamer possessing an honorary membership at the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club, while Sweeney still resides in Bradenton.

Both share IMG's David Whelan as their swing coach.

Meanwhile, Bradenton native Jessica Korda is finished with her first round. She fired a 3-over par 74.

The 18-year-old isn't the only to struggle in Friday's opening round.

As of now, only 22 players sit below par on the difficult par-71 layout.

LPGA Tour's Safeway Classic pairings released

The pairings for this week's Safeway Classic were released Thursday.

The three-day, 54-hole LPGA Tour stop at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club's Ghost Creek course in the Pacific Northwest (North Plains, Ore.) has a Manatee County flavor to it.

Paula Creamer, Jaclyn Sweeney and Jessica Korda are all in the field.

Creamer, an IMG Academies alum, tees off No. 1 at 12:21 p.m. alongside Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis.
Sweeney, a fellow IMG alum who calls Bradenton home now, also starts off the front nine. Her tee time is 1:05 p.m. and she'll play with the teenage phenom, Lexi Thompson, and Shi Hyun Ahn.

Korda, a Bradenton native, begins bright and early off No. 10 at 7:15 a.m. The 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur runner-up plays with Heather Bowie Young and Allison Fouch in the first round.

Television coverage of the day one starts Friday at 6:30 p.m. on The Golf Channel.