Creamer pays triple-bogey price for taking risk at 10th

BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Organizers wanted to liven up the action in Saturday's third round of the U.S. Women's Open so they moved the tee forward to introduce a risk-reward option at the par-four 10th.

Paula Creamer, who began the day one shot behind leader Cristie Kerr, took the risk of trying to reach the green from the tee and paid the price by taking a triple-bogey seven that plunged her down the leaderboard at Saucon Valley.

With the forward tee making it a 231-yard shot to the front of the green and 253 yards to the flagstick, Creamer took a chance, down three shots at the time.

Creamer's drive toward the green that juts off to the right found a deep bunker on the left.

Her next shot flew over the green into a wooded area. Her next shot was short of the green in heavy rough. She muffed the next one and barely reached the green's edge with her fifth shot. The ordeal ended two putts later.

Creamer looked near tears after the blow-up hole.

"I kind of stood on the green there and just tried to get all my emotions out," said 22-year-old Creamer, who with eight career wins on the LPGA Tour is considered the best player yet to win a major.

"I was standing there, looking at the hole and thinking, how did you just hit it seven times on this hole?

"If I hit a good bunker shot there, then maybe we wouldn't be sitting here talking about it. But unfortunately I hit a horrible bunker shot and if I could do it all over again I would probably lay it up.

"I'm not sure what happened there. Just kind of felt like one shot after another seven times. After that, it was difficult to bounce back."

Creamer's 79 left her eight shots behind leader Kerr.

South Korean Ji Eyun-hee, who finished the round in second place two shots back after a 70, also went for the green at 10. Her tee shot found the fringe shy of the green and she birdied the hole with a 10-foot putt.

Kerr, paired with Creamer, played it safe as did most players. She hit a five-iron and then a lob wedge to two-putt for par.

"That's what the USGA wanted to do, bring in risk reward and she put herself in a spot where she tried to hit it at the pin instead of just getting it on the green, taking par and leaving," Kerr, 31, said.

"That was a really tough bunker shot she brought in."

(Editing by Ian Ransom)