SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) ― The head-to-head duel between Beatriz Recari and Paula Creamer in the final round of the Marathon Classic on Sunday was great theater.
Don’t be surprised if there’s a sequel.
Recari rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole to take the lead for good and hung on to hold off Creamer for her third LPGA Tour title.
They started the day tied and spent most of the day trading the lead ― as if it were match play. The duel in the heat in suburban Toledo might have been foreshadowing for when both players participate in next month’s Solheim Cup at the Colorado Golf Club, Recari for the European side and Paula Creamer for the United States.
Beatriz Recari of Spain poses with the winner’s trophy on Sunday. (AFP-Yonhap News)
“Back and forth, back and forth,” Recari said of their Sunday showdown. “It totally felt like the Solheim Cup.”
Recari and Creamer, who won the tournament then known as the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic five years ago, started the day tied for first, three shots ahead of their nearest pursuers. They traded the lead ― never separated by more than one stroke ― and were still even until Recari birdied the par-3 14th.
The 26-year-old Recari closed with a 5-under 66 to finish at 17-under 267. She missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 17th, but made a clutch 5-footer for par at the 18th.
Creamer, who was seeking her 10th career win and first since the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open, finished with a 67. She said she gave it everything she had.
