WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Paula Creamer and Jiyai Shin will have to wait until Monday to break their deadlock in the Kingsmill Championship.
After they each parred the par-4 18th hole eight times in a playoff Sunday, darkness forced the suspension of play for the day. They will resume play Monday morning on the par-4 16th hole.
Creamer took a one-stroke lead into the final hole of regulation, but three-putted — missing a 5-footer for par — for a bogey to fall into the playoff.
Creamer finished with an even-par 71, and Shin shot a 69, leaving them tied at 16 under on Kingsmill’s River Course.
They returned to the 18th tee to try to play another hole, but decided it was too dark.
“When I teed it up back there, it was a no go,” Creamer said.
They had already missed their flight to England for the Women’s British Open.
The winner will extend Kingsmill’s major champion vibe. All previous LPGA Tour winners at Kingsmill have won majors. Creamer won the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open, and Shin captured the 2008 Women’s British Open.
Shin had a good chance to win on the first extra hole, but left a 6-foot birdie putt short.
Both players came tantalizingly close to winning on the second playoff hole. Creamer’s putt was from 35 feet, and Shin had an 18.-footer Both got up and down for pars from bunkers on the third hole, and each two-putted for par the fourth, fifth and sixth extra holes.
Creamer sank a 5-foot putt to save par and extend the playoff on the seventh. Both two-putted the eighth hole, with Creamer’s 18-footer for birdie sliding by the low side of the cup.
Karine Icher (65) and Danielle Kang (69) tied for third at 14 under. Angela Stanford had a 64 — the best round of the day — match Catriona Matthew (68) at 13 under.
Creamer began the round with a two-shot lead over Shin. She maintained that margin with birdies on the second and fourth holes, then had a double bogey on the sixth. That ended a streak of 38 holes without losing a shot and dropped her into a tie at 16 under with Shin, who birdied the second and third holes.
They made the turn tied, but Shin bogeyed the 10th and 11th holes to again trail by two. Icher, Matthew and Ai Miyazato entered the mix after starting well behind Creamer, but Icher ran out of holes, and Matthew and Miyazato made bogeys that took them out of the hunt.
Creamer and Shin battled shot for shot from the 12th hole on. Shin closed within a shot when Creamer bogeyed the 12th, then Creamer kept her lead with a brilliant up and down for par at the 13th.
Creamer birdied Nos. 14 and 16, and Shin birdied 15 and 16 to stay a stroke back.
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