Paula Creamer leads Evian Championship after first round

It’s been over five years since Paula Creamer’s last LPGA win, the 2014 HSBC Women’s Champions, but the 32-year-old veteran has been gaining confidence over the last several weeks. She hasn’t finished worse than T-19 in her last three events, and now, she’s leading the fourth women’s major of the year, the Evian Championship, after firing a bogey-free round of 64.

“I love this golf course,” Creamer told LPGA.com after her round. “I just think it sets up really well for my game, and it’s nice when you can come to a place that you’ve won at as well.”

Creamer has 10 LPGA wins on her resume, including a major, the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open. Back in 2005, Creamer’s second career win was the Evian, before it acquired major status. Fourteen years later, she holds the first-round lead by one-shot over four players tied for second at 6 under par.

A new putting stance and strategy on the greens helped propel Creamer back to the top of the leaderboard. She only had 25 putts on Thursday.

“It’s just very consistent,” Creamer said of the change. “I do my, kind of a split-stance, I guess you could say. I’m able to walk right into the putt and go. I’ve gone to AimPoint now as well. It’s taken me a little bit of time to get used to. It’s something you have to practice but I feel really confident with it. Between the two it’s just been a good mixture, a good combination.”

You can watch second-round coverage of the Evian Championship on Golf Channel beginning at 5:00 a.m. ET on Friday morning.

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