Creamer moves to No. 3 in golf rankings

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Paula Creamer's victory in the LPGA's Samsung World Championship allowed her to improve two spots to No. 3 in the latest women's golf rankings.

Creamer collected her eighth career tournament victory Sunday at Half Moon Bay, Calif., and it pushed her ranking from fifth to third. The win, her fourth this year, also solidified her position in relation to next year's Solheim Cup selections. Her $1.7 million in winnings is second on the 2008 LPGA money list.

Lorena Ochoa owns a strong lead over No. 2-ranked Annika Sorenstam in the overall rankings. Creamer's victory gave her a ratings-point average of 8.83, just ahead of fourth-ranked Yani Tseng (8.82) and No. 5 Suzann Pettersen (8.53), both of whom dropped one spot in the rankings in the wake of Creamer's climb.

Cristie Kerr and Shin Ji-yai held on to their sixth and seventh rankings, respectively, but Helen Alfredsson improved one spot to eighth, knocking Karrie Webb down one spot to ninth. Lee Seon-hwa retained the No. 10 spot.