Creamer takes control

Three closing birdies give her Samsung lead by one shot

Paula Creamer told herself to be patient, and it finally paid off. She birdied her final three holes Saturday to shoot a 4-under 68 for the three-day lead heading into the final round of the Samsung World Championship in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

Angela Stanford led for much of the day but hurt herself with two double-bogeys on the back nine. Birdies on the final two holes for a 3-under 69 kept her one stroke back at 5-under 211 going into today's round.

Australian Katherine Hull hit an eagle on No. 4 and also birdied 18 for a 69 to stay within two strokes of the lead on a day when birdies were hard to come by for everybody in the elite 20-player field.

Two-time defending Samsung champion and world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa shot a 70 and is also two strokes off the lead with a 4-under 212. She narrowly missed several birdie putts while watching Stanford come up big time and again with accuracy in both her short and long games. They played a fast-paced front nine minus the changing wind that was such a nuisance Friday.

Players hit through a light drizzle at times on a cool fall day in the Bay Area but the rain never lasted for long.

ALSO SATURDAY

TURNING STONE RESORT CHAMPIONSHIP: Tag Ridings missed a short par putt on the final hole to fall into a tie with Charles Howell III for the third-round lead at Verona, N.Y., in the second of seven Fall Series events.

Ridings (71), winless in 154 starts on the PGA Tour, finished with a 1-under 71 to match Howell (69) at 8-under 208.

Jeff Overton (73), who led both the first and second rounds by one shot, was tied for third at 7 under with Brian Davis (69), Jason Day (71) and Kyle Thompson (69).

Another shot behind were Dustin Johnson (70) and Robert Allenby (71), while Davis Love III (66), Charles Warren (67), and Mark Hensby (72) were tied at 5 under.

Because of two weather delays Friday, 23 players failed to finish the second round and had to complete it Saturday morning.

KOREA OPEN: Kim Wi-joong shot a 2-under 69 to take a one-stroke lead after the third round in Seoul, South Korea.

The South Korean was at 10-under 203 after a round of five birdies and three bogeys at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club. American Anthony Kim (67), Englishman Ian Poulter (69) and South Koreans Bae Sang-moon (67) and Kim Dae-sub (69) were tied for second.

Kim, the hero of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team, recovered from a second-round 73.

ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP: Martin Kaymer and Jarmo Sandelin shared the third-round lead after another wet, windy day at St. Andrews, Scotland.

Kaymer had two birdies in a 1-over 73 at the 7,412-yard Carnoustie course to take the lead at 6-under 210. Sandelin later caught him with a 72.

Magnus Carlsson (73) was a stroke off the lead, and British Open and PGA champion Padraig Harrington (74) was two back in a group of three.

Ernie Els (76) and 2005 champion Colin Montgomerie (78) missed the 54-hole cut.