Creamer cards 65, leads by 5

Paula Creamer’s bogey-free, 7-under score left her way ahead of the pack.

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Paula Creamer made a big move Friday at Magnolia Grove to join Lorena Ochoa and Suzann Pettersen as the LPGA Tour’s only multiple winners this year.

After birdieing the final seven holes Thursday for a share of the lead in the Tournament of Champions, Creamer shot a bogey-free, 7-under 65 Friday to open a five-stroke advantage at 12-under 132.

“I feel very confident. I’m hitting the ball really well,” Creamer said. “There is a lot of golf left. But at the same time, I like where I am at, obviously. ... I know people are going to try to go as low as they can the next two days. ... I’m going to just have to try to match it each time and we’ll see what happens on Sunday.”

The 21-year-old Californian, the SBS Open winner in February for her lone victory of the season and third in three years, birdied three of the final four holes on The Crossings Course, rolling in a 35-footer on the par-4 18th.

Jin Joo Hong was second at 7 under after a 67. Annika Sorenstam (67) and Pat Hurst (69) were 6 under, and Karen Stupples (67) was another stroke back in the event limited to tournament winners from 2004-07 and active Hall of Fame members.

Pettersen was 4 under after a 71 that included two penalty strokes. She’s coming off consecutive victories in South Korea and Thailand and has won three of her last four starts to raise her season victory total to five.

Ochoa, the defending champion, was 1 under after a 69.

Already the player of the year, she has won seven times this season and earned a record $3,337,993. Last year at Magnolia Grove, she had weekend rounds of 63 and 65 for a 10-stroke victory and 21-under 267 total, both tournament records.