ERIE, Pa. - Paula Creamer mastered her short game to beat Diana Ramage 3 and 2 on a rain-soaked course Friday, advancing to the semifinals of the U.S. Women's Amateur for the second straight year.
Creamer, 18, of Pleasanton, Calif., dominated most of the round with Ramage of Fayetteville, Ga., playing in the tournament for the second time.
Creamer eagled the par-5 No. 8 to go 2-up, but bogeyed the next hole.
She seemed to take control at the par-5 12th. After missing the green, she chipped the ball about 2 feet from the hole and went 3-up.
Her ability to knock it close helped her maintain the lead after some difficult long shots.
On the 464-yard par-5 14th, Creamer's second shot was short and right of the green, coming to rest between the roots of a pine tree. She knocked the ball in the rough off the green, and chipped within just a few feet of the hole to save par.
Ramage conceded, missed her putt, and they halved the hole.
"I hit a terrible 3-wood into that green. I kind of deserved the lie that I was in," said Creamer, whose boyfriend, Tarick Can, carried her bag.
Creamer also missed the green on No. 15, but pitched it close to the hole and made par to halve the hole. Ramage and Creamer both parred the 338-yard 16th, sealing the win for Creamer.
"I'm just feeling really comfortable and really confident out there," Creamer said.
Today Creamer faces Amanda McCurdy of El Dorado, Ark. The 20-year-old won 3 and 2 against 17-year-old Sun-Young Yoo of Korea.
McCurdy had a string of birdies on the front nine and was 6-up through 11. But she saw her lead start to slip away after Yoo won the 12th, 13th and 14th holes.
McCurdy said she thought she had enough of a cushion but thought maybe her adrenaline was taking over.
"So I just tried to settle myself and tried to get it on the green like I had been doing and just putt like I had been putting," McCurdy said.
She had pars on 15 and 16 to win the match.
Last year's runnerup, Jane Park of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., beat Beth Allen of San Diego, 4 and 2 to advance.
Park plays Sarah Huarte of Shingle Springs, Calif., today. Huarte beat Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton 1-up. On Thursday, Pressel eliminated In-Bee Park, who beat Michelle Wie in the second round.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Henrik Nystrom shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to claim a share of the second-round lead with Kariem Baraka at the Russian Open in Nakhabino.
Nystrom, a runnerup at the Scottish PGA Championship in 2000, joined Baraka at 10-under 134 after birdieing six of the first 10 holes.
"I had no trouble out there and just played solid golf all day," Nystrom said. "I'm in a very good position for the weekend."
Baraka, who had a flawless 9-under 63 Thursday, shot 71, including three bogeys.
Markus Brier and Euan Little were one stroke back at 9 under.
Gary Emerson had a pair of eagles in a day-best 65, but bogey at the eighth spoiled his round and left him among a group of six tied for fifth at 8 under.
NATIONWIDE TOUR: Brad Ott shot 66 for a two-round total of 13-under 131 to take a one-shot lead at the Price Cutter Championship in Springfield, Mo. First-round leader Gavin Coles shot 69 to trail by a stroke.
