Shin, Creamer locked in duel as darkness falls

Jiyai Shin and Paula Creamer were locked in a playoff duel when darkness halted play at the ninth hole of their sudden-death decider at the LPGA Kingsmill Championship. The two were teeing it up for the ninth time at the 18th hole of the Kingsmill Resort's River Course Sunday when it was decided it was too dark to continue. Both had parred the hole eight times. "This is a hard birdie hole," said Creamer, who added she wished officials had been able to change the pin for the playoff. The American had put her ball on the tee when play was stopped, and while she would like to have seen a result, she said it was too dark to play on. "I wanted to play, but when I teed it up back, there it was a no-go," Creamer said. Shin, a former world number one who like Creamer is seeking a first LPGA Tour title since 2010, said she'd never experienced anything like the marathon playoff. "I know winning is always tough -- but not this tough," Shin said. They were to return Monday morning to rejoin the battle at the par-four 16th. The playoff is the longest between two players in LPGA Tour history, breaking the record of seven holes set when Cristie Kerr beat Seol-An Jeon at the 2004 Takefuji Classic. Jo Ann Prentice won the 1972 Corpus Christi Open on the 10th hole of a playoff that involved three players. "It just was really long tough day, but it will be good experience for us," Shin said. "And well, first couple holes of the playoff I was really, really nervous, but after that I started getting comfortable with it, the playoff. It's just, like, so weird." Shin had an opportunity to seal the win at the first extra hole, but left her six-foot birdie attempt short. Both got up and down from bunkers for par at the third playoff hole and both two-putted for par at the fourth, fifth and sixth. Creamer extended the playoff with a five-footer to save par at the seventh and both two-putted the eighth, where Creamer's 18-foot birdie putt slipped past. Creamer took a two-shot lead over Shin into the final round, and posted an even-par 71 that included a double-bogey and two bogeys balanced by four birdies. She arrived at the final hole of regulation with a one-stroke lead but three-putted, missing a five-footer for par to send it to a playoff. Shin had four birdies and two bogeys in her two-under 69 to match Creamer on 16-under 268. Their closest rivals were France's Karine Icher and American Danielle Kang -- Icher shooting up the leaderboard with a 65 and Kang carding a 69 to share third on 270. Creamer is seeking a 10th career title on the LPGA Tour and her first since the 2010 US Women's Open, while Shin won the last of her eight LPGA titles in November 2010. The lengthy duel means both players will arrive late to the British Women's Open, which starts Thursday at Royal Liverpool.