Singapore (SportsNetwork.com) - Paula Creamer poured in a long, big-breaking eagle putt on the second playoff hole Sunday to defeat Azahara Munoz and win the HSBC Women's Champions.
Creamer closed with her second straight 3-under 69 to end at 10-under-par 278. Munoz posted a 2-under 70 to join her in the extra session.
The duo narrowly missed birdie putts on the first extra hole, No. 18. They returned to the 18th for a second time.
They both found the short grass off the tee. After Munoz laid up in the fairway with her second shot, Creamer knocked her second onto the green. Munoz played her third to about nine feet, but she never got a chance to putt it.
Creamer was some 75 feet from the hole, and her putt broke dramatically from right to left and was downhill. She 2-putted for par in regulation from a similar spot, but this time hit a perfect putt and rolled into the center of the hole for eagle and the win.
"This has been such a long time coming, and I wouldn't be here today without my caddie. Colin (Cann). He's my best friend and has been there through it all. We've had such a good last seven months, just working on what we're doing," said Creamer.
"Obviously, a bit of luck going in on that one. I putted it several times today, but Azahara hit a great shot in there, and she's such a good competitor as well."
Karrie Webb, the 2011 winner here, was in charge of the tournament most of the week on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club. She led by three with six holes to go, but bogeyed three of the last six to miss the playoff by one stroke. Webb shot 2-over 74 to end alone in third at minus-9.
So Yeon Ryu, the 2011 U.S. Women's Open champion, fired a 6-under 66 for the low round of the day. She soared 13 spots into a share of fourth at 7-under- par 281.
Ryu ended alongside 2012 champion Angela Stanford (75), Suzann Pettersen (70), Morgan Pressel (71) and women's world No. 1 Inbee Park (68).
Webb 3-putted for bogey on the 13th to slip to 11-under. She was two clear of Creamer at that point because Creamer also 3-putted for bogey at 13.
Creamer bounced back with a birdie putt from just over 10 feet out on No. 15 to move to 10-under. Webb found water off the 15th tee for a second time this week and that led to a bogey, which dropped her into a share of the lead.
At the 16th, Creamer made a clutch par-saving putt from 10 feet out. She got up and down for par from short of the 17th green, then 2-putted from long range on the par-5 18th to get in at 10-under.
"I definitely tested myself coming down the stretch, that's for sure. I had to make a bunch of 6- and 7-footers, but I kept grinding, and kept doing what Colin and I were planning on doing. It was a grind all day, and it was a long time coming," Creamer stated.
Webb and Munoz were in the last group behind Creamer. Munoz, who bogeyed one and two before making birdies at four and five, moved into red figures for her round with an 8-foot birdie putt on the 14th.
That got her to 9-under. Munoz rolled in a 10-footer for birdie at 17 to join Creamer and Webb and 10-under. Munoz missed a birdie try from just inside 10 feet at No. 18 to end alongside Creamer at 10-under.
Webb scrambled to par the 16th, then narrowly missed a birdie chance on 17 to remain tied for the lead. At the last, she found sand off the tee and tried to hit a fairway wood from the bunker.
Her ball hit the lip of the bunker and stayed in the sand. Webb blasted her third into the fairway, then tugged her fourth left of the green. She left a par-saving effort well short then made her bogey try to end one back.
NOTES: Creamer earned $210,000 for her 10th LPGA Tour title ... This was the second time in her LPGA Tour career that Creamer came from behind to win the title ... Creamer had played 79 events since her last win at the 2010 U.S. Women's Open ... She is now 2-2 in playoffs, while Munoz is 0-1 ... The LPGA Tour returns to action in two weeks in Arizona with the LPGA Founders Cup, where Stacy Lewis won by three last year.
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