uldnt quite catch Yani Tseng. Neither co

PITTSFORD, N. Levine Toilolo Red Jersey .Y. -- No matter how hard she tried, Paula Creamer couldnt quite catch Yani Tseng. Neither could anyone else. Tseng, the top-ranked player in the world, shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead over Creamer after the first round of the LPGA Championship. The 22-year-old Tseng, already the youngest player to win three majors, made five birdies on the front nine and three more on the back to go with a pair of bogeys as she began her quest for another major title. "I tried to put it on the fairways as much as I could," said Tseng, who finished second to Stacy Lewis at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in March, the first major of the year. "When you put it on the fairways, you have more chance to make birdies. The second shot I hit it very good." Did she ever. Among her eight birdie putts on what was mostly a sunny, calm day at Locust Hill Country Club, none was longer than the eight-footer she made at No. 15. And although Tseng hit only six of 14 fairways, her strength allowed her to hit solid shots out of the thick rough and she was able to reach 15 of 18 greens in regulation. And she was nearly flawless on the short holes, birdieing all four par 3s on a course that had been softened somewhat by an overnight thunderstorm. Still, she faltered twice when she failed off the tee. She bogeyed the par-4 13th hole after hitting a "terrible drive" and missing a 12-foot putt for par, then pulled her drive at No. 16, another par 4, and missed an eight-foot par putt. "Its hard to put it on (the) fairway. The course is really narrow," Tseng said. "At Kraft, I tried my best. Thats all I can do. Actually, last night I did think a little bit about Kraft. I try not to think too much." Leading Creamer by one shot heading to the 18th tee, Tseng recovered from a bad tee shot that landed in the thick right rough. She hit a nine-iron onto the ridge above the hole, then watched as it rolled down within four feet of the pin and calmly sank the birdie putt. "Im enjoying whats happening right now," said Tseng, who won the State Farm Classic two weeks ago for her second LPGA Tour victory of the season. "The last few weeks just gave me lots of confidence for my putting and my driving, too. So that helps a lot for a major golf course. (It) make me very comfortable." Angela Stanford, Meena Lee, Diana DAlessio and Stacy Prammanasudh were 4 under, and Morgan Pressel, Stacy Lewis, Ryann OToole, Amy Hung, Minea Blomqvist, Jennifer Johnson and Hee Young Park were 3 under. Defending champion Cristie Kerr, who was ailing with a light case of the flu, shot an even-par 72. Charlottetowns Lorie Kane was the top Canadian at 1-over 73. Montreals Lisa Meldrum, Stephanie Sherlock of Oakville, Ont., and Hamiltons Alena Sharp shot 2-over 74. Samantha Richdale of Kelwona, B.C., shot 3-over 75 and Jessica Shepley of Oakville carded 4-over 76. Creamer withdrew from this tournament two years ago -- before it became a major -- with an injury to her left thumb, and last year finished tied for 42nd, never going lower than her first-round 71. She was pumped after a solid first round that matched her best at Locust Hill. "Normally, I shoot myself in the foot after the first day with putting pressure on myself and wanting to do so well," said Creamer, who went out in the morning in a threesome right behind Tseng. "Its nice to be on the other side going into tomorrow. I just need to keep it going and try to make as many birdies as I can." Creamer missed a terrific chance to tie -- or even take the lead -- when she misread a 45-foot eagle putt at the par-5 17th hole and ended up three-putting for par. She then rallied with a birdie at 18, hitting a seven-iron from 150 yards within two feet of the pin. "I gave myself a lot of opportunities. I made a lot of good putts," Creamer said. "I kind of was kicking myself after 17. I had a good birdie chance there, just two putts. But I finished strong, and I feel good about where Im sitting." A year ago, Kerr overpowered Locust Hill. She won by 12 shots, finishing at 19-under 269 to win her second major. That matched the lowest score in relation to par in a womens major and tied for the second-largest in the history of major championships. That was a distant memory on this day. Fighting a mild case of the flu, Kerr never found that magic despite starting birdie, birdie as the gallery roared its approval. Then it stopped. Kerr made bogey at the par-3 fifth hole and had two more at Nos. 10 and 14. "I think thats hard to duplicate. This is a different year -- 6 under is leading. Its not like somebodys shooting 10 under," said Kerr, who began feeling ill on Wednesday night and didnt sleep well. "I felt a little bit uptight today just because I wasnt feeling that great. I was trying maybe to force things a little bit. Ive got to go out and get some rest and get in a good mindset for tomorrow." Still, a birdie at No. 17 and a nice par save at the closing hole put Kerr, second in the world rankings, in a good frame of mind. "I couldnt find the rhythm and hit some really bad shots out there, and it still could have been 2 or 3 under," Kerr said. "So, considering everything, Ill be OK for tomorrow. They (the clutch putts on the final two holes) were pretty big for the mindset going into the next three days. Having shot even the first day is a lot different than shooting 2 over." After an overcast start, the sun broke through in late morning and stayed out most of the day for most of the leaders. A brief shower in late afternoon was followed by a torrential thunderstorm that forced suspension of play for just over two hours with 58 players still on the course, and six players will complete their rounds on Friday morning. DIVOTS: There were eight Americans among the top 13 after the first round, and it wasnt exactly a banner day for four of the top five in the World Golf Rankings. Besides Kerr, third-ranked Suzann Pettersen also shot 72, fourth-ranked Jiyai Shin had a 3-over 75, and No. 5 Na Yeon Choi finished at 1 over. ... Karrie Webb, a two-time winner this year, had a 2-over 74, as did fellow Hall of Famer Juli Inkster. Kroy Biermann Jersey . -- Michael Phelps has competed in the second event of his comeback and failed to advance to the 50-meter freestyle final. Dwight Lowery Red Jersey . Jayson Werth and Denard Span had three hits each for Washington, which had lost 6 of 7. Previously slumping, Washingtons offence has 14 runs and 30 hits in its last two games. Strasburg (4-4) allowed two unearned runs, though his error led to them, and six hits.BOSTON - Thanks to a Game 1 loss, in which they were one-hit by five Tigers pitchers, the Red Sox head into Sunday night under pressure to avoid going down 0-2 when the series shifts to Detroit. Theres also that matter of Justin Verlander, who will start the third game for the Tigers. Given how he pitched in two starts Division Series starts against Oakland, the task will be a tall one for the Bostonians on Tuesday regardless of Sundays result. Lets digress, not get too far ahead of ourselves, and look at whats on tap in the immediate. The Red Sox had better take that approach because, before Verlander, theyre up against the presumptive favourite to win this years American League Cy Young award, Max Scherzer. GAME 2 PREVIEW: PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RHP Max Scherzer (Regular season: 21-3, 2.90, 0.970 WHIP; Playoffs: 2-0, 3.00, 1.111 WHIP) 2013 vs. Boston: 1-1, 2.57, 1.000 WHIP, 14K in 14 innings pitched. Scherzer on facing the Red Sox: "Well, theyre just a great team. They can grind ABs out, they dont chase a lot.  They foul off pitches. Really, it all comes down to, you can mention all those things theyre very good at, it comes down to attacking the hitters and making sure Im working ahead in count. Ive got to be 1 2 before Im 2 1. All the simple things in pitching.  If I dont do that, its going to make it extremely uphill battle for me.  If I feel like Im working ahead in the count, I feel like I can be successful.  And thats the recipe for success." Toughest matchup: David Ortiz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury have a history of success against Scherzer. Ortiz in 15 AB: .467/.556/.1.133, 3 HR, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 3 BB. Saltalamacchia in 12 AB: .417/.417/.667, 1 HR, 2 RBI. Ellsbury in 9 AB: .556/.667/1.000, 1 HR, 1 2B, 5 RBI, 3 BB. Interesting note: Scherzer, the 11th overall pick in the 2006 draft (Diamondbacks,) and teammates Austin Jackson and Phil Coke were acquired in the same three-way trade, from different clubs. The deal went down on December 8, 2009, with the centerpiece of the deal being the Yankees acquisition of Curtis Granderson from Detroit. Scherzer and reliever Daniel Schlereth were acquired by the Tigers from Arizona, while the Yankees shipped Jackson and Coke to Detroit. Deion Sanders Jersey. The Tigers sent Edwin Jackson to Arizona in the deal. The Diamondbacks also acquired Ian Kennedy from New York. Got all that? Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz (Regular season: 12-1, 1.74, 1.025 WHIP; Playoffs: 0-0, 4.50, 1.667 WHIP) Did not face Detroit in 2013. Buchholz missed three months (June 9-September 9) with a neck injury. Toughest matchup: There is no Tiger whos faced Buchholz often and had significant success. Here are the numbers of the four Detroit players whove seen Buchholz the most. Torii Hunter (24 AB:) .167/.286/.250, 2 2B, 4 BB, 4K. Miguel Cabrera (21 AB:) .238/.320/.333, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K. Austin Jackson (19 AB:) .263/.333/.526, 1 HR, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 4K. Jhonny Peralta (17 AB:) .294/.316/.412, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 4 K. Of the active players on the Tigers playoff roster, only Jackson and Andy Dirks (1) have hit home runs off Buchholz. LINEUP CONSIDERATIONS: Up 1-0 in the eighth inning of Game 1, Tigers manager Jim Leyland held his nose and replaced Miguel Cabrera with Ramon Santiago at third base. Its a tough decision to take your best hitter out of a close game but considering Cabreras groin issues, Leyland felt he had no choice. "I wasnt comfortable doing that, particularly in this ballpark with a 1 0 lead," said Leyland. "We know were handicapped a little bit because of our situation. I think the biggest key in that situation was the two guys that they had coming up to lead off that inning were Victorino and Pedroia. Both are excellent baseball players, both smart. Victorino could have dropped the bunt down on Miggy. Pedroia could have dropped a bunt on Miggy. We felt like that was the best way to go." GAME 2 PREDICTION: This is an absolute must-win for Boston. The Red Sox, with their scraggly beards and grind-it-out approach, will muster the will to bounce back from being one-hit. Buchholz and Scherzer pitch great games but the Red Sox prevail, 3-2, sending us to Detroit with the series even 1-1. ' ' '