Ochoa's Streak Ends; LPGA Once Again Makes For Better Viewing Than The PGA Tour

creamer2.jpgOf the parts I caught (hey, the Lakers were on...), today's Semgroup Championship in Tulsa was far more fun to watch than the Wachovia rout by Anthony Kim. It never hurts when firey types like Paula Creamer and Angela Stanford are contending while veterans like Juli Inkster are in pursuit.

Doug Ferguson filed a lively game story, which included this:

Lost in a terrific duel was the end of Lorena Ochoa's winning streak. Going for a record-tying fifth straight victory, Ochoa never got on track, even in a final round absent of much wind. She closed with a 2-under 69 to tie for fifth, five shots behind.

"It's done," Ochoa said. "I tried really hard and it didn't work. Hopefully, I'll start a new streak next week."

The 21-year-old Creamer won for the first time without her parents at the tournament, another small step in proving she can do it all by herself. She immediately called Nancy Lopez, her former Solheim Cup captain and mentor who was in Florida last week consoling Creamer.

This time, Creamer was beaming. She only smiled when asked if Lopez was crying.

Creamer was fuming after some of her mistakes, slamming the end of her putter into her bag after a three-putt on the 13th, then leaving the tee box during a delay to use the concrete crease in a cart path to check her alignment.

And another impressive Lorena stat:

Ochoa's bid to join Lopez and Sorenstam with her fifth straight LPGA Tour victory never got off the ground. She broke par at Cedar Ridge for the first time all week, but starting eight shots behind, it wasn't even close. She had to settle for her eighth consecutive top 10.