By Dave Shedloski

	Paula Creamer stands with arms akimbo after missing a putt on the 11th hole Saturday. (John Mummert/USGA)

Bethlehem, Pa. – No excuses. No tears. But likely no U.S. Women’s Open title once again for Paula Creamer.

For the second year in a row, the talented Californian with an affinity for pink and abilities yet to peak, encountered bitter disappointment at the Women’s Open. This time the letdown came a day early. One off the lead through 36 holes and playing in the final pairing with compatriot Cristie Kerr, Creamer crashed to an 8-over-par 79 Saturday afternoon at Saucon Valley Country Club, and saw her hopes of winning the national title all but dashed.

Last year, at Interlachen Country Club, Creamer began the final round one behind leader Stacy Lewis, but stumbled to a 78 and ended up tied for sixth. Lewis also shot 78, paving the way for steady Inbee Park to claim the title.

“The easiest thing to say is I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,” said the 22-year-old Creamer with a shrug and a forced smile. “I just didn’t have anything really going.”

Creamer has, at best, an outside chance of still winning the championship, but to do it she would have to produce record-setting golf. The largest comeback in championship history is five strokes, accomplished by six women, the last in 1995 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo. That’s when Annika Sorenstam, with a 68, edged Meg Mallon by a stroke and claimed the first of her three Women’s Open titles.

Amateur Barbara McIntire set the record for best comeback in the final round to tie when she made up eight strokes with a 71 at Northland Country Club in Duluth, Minn., in 1956. She lost in a playoff to 54-hole leader Kathy Cornelius.

Creamer happens to be eight back, tied for 17th with five others at 6-over 219. Kerr, the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open champion, is at 2-under 211 after a 72 and is two strokes clear of the field.

While Creamer seemingly could do no wrong in her brilliant second-round 68 on Friday, her performance Saturday was inexplicably erratic. Though nursing a sore left thumb that required cortisone injections prior to the championship, the eight-time LPGA winner refused to make excuses.

“My thumb is OK. A little achy here and there, but that’s not why I played bad. I wish I could blame it on that, but I can’t,” said Creamer. “I just didn’t play well.”

The struggles started early, when she missed the green with her third shot on the par-5 opening hole from just 65 yards. She salvaged par, but a bogey on the second sent her reeling. She would make two more before the turn, and five overall, but the coups de grace came at the par-4 10th.

Set up at just 253 yards to encourage players to drive the green, the 10th enticed Creamer, who clearly was pressing, to do just that. But her pink ball ended up in a front greenside bunker, and her second shot went sailing over the green into high rough. After a series of chunks and flubs, Creamer walked off with a triple-bogey 7 and fell from three behind Kerr to six back.

“I’m not sure what happened there,” said Creamer.“Just kind of felt like one shot after another seven [shots]. After that, it was difficult to bounce back, especially on the back side.”

Creamer said she didn’t panic or get too upset. “I was thinking, ‘There’s a lot of golf left. You have this back nine and then you’ve got 18 holes tomorrow. Just don’t dig yourself a deeper hole than you’re already in.’ And I didn’t quite come back as well as I wanted.”

It’s hard to do that when you hit only five greens and need 29 putts.

“I can’t tell you how many greens I’ve missed this week,” said Creamer. (Through 54 holes she has missed nearly half, 26.) “I feel kind of [feel]… not rusty in a sense, but it’s not quite my iron shots that I normally can look at.”

The struggles could be the result of the thumb injury, which caused her to withdraw from her last two tournaments and hindered preparation for the championship. But she wouldn’t take the bait and point any fingers at the bum thumb.

“I just feel it’s an unfortunate day,” she said. “I shot 79. I played bad. You know, I guess I deserved to shoot that.”

Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.uswomensopen.com.