NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Paula Creamer never started a tournament this way. Annika Sorenstam hadn't done it this way in four years. They came out even in the opening round of the Sybase Classic. Creamer teed off as a defending champion for the first time in her young career Thursday, while Sorenstam was coming off a missed cut for the first time since 2002. They both shot 1-over 72s, leaving them four strokes behind leaders Natalie Gulbis, Beth Bauer and Hee-Won Han. "I felt a little nervous on the first tee because I had never been in that position before," Creamer said, "but I hit a good drive." Creamer was 18 years old and four days from her high school graduation when she won this tournament last year, the youngest winner of a multiround LPGA event. She also won the Evian Masters last year. Double-bogeys on Nos. 4 and 11 had Creamer at 5 over, but a 9-iron out of the rough on No. 12 led to the first of four birdies over her final seven holes. "After I hit that 9-iron out of the first cut, it was on from there," said Creamer, who became the youngest LPGA winner said. "I made a 10-12 footer there for birdie and it was like the hole was opening for me. It was a matter of momentum. After that, I was really consistent. I don't know what was going on at the beginning, I can't even tell you. It was like an out-of-body experience." Creamer closed with a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th. Sorenstam shots two 73s last week in missing the cut at the Michelob Ultra Open by one stroke. The winner of this tournament in 1998 and 2000, Sorenstam started on No. 10, and birdies on Nos. 13 and 15 had her 2 under, but bogeys on 2, 7 and 8 left her 1 over. "I thought I played well, it was very difficult, very, very difficult out there. I thought I played really, really good, just the two bogeys at the end," she said. "I hit the ball beautifully and made some good par saves." Gulbis, ninth on this year's money list after finishing sixth in 2005, eagled the par-4 8th with a 100-yard sand wedge and had four birdies  including a chip-in from 60 feet  on the back nine in her 68. "When I holed that wedge, it changed my momentum and I played well on the back nine," she said. "I like this course because it plays like a major. Players are not going to be able to shoot 62, 63 out here." Bauer's only bogey came on the par-3 16th and she was one of only two players to get to 4 under in the morning round when the wind seemed to cause quite a few problems on the tree-lined course. "It was awesome. It was a lot of fun out there," said Bauer, who missed the cut in all four events she entered this year. "I just feel like it's been coming. The scores have been getting lower and lower and my confidence has been growing, so I'm definitely excited for things to come." Gulbis called Bauer a "good friend and a good player." "We're really close and she calls me after every round and we look forward to seeing each other," Gulbis said. "We were pretty close our first year on tour." Han, the 2003 Sybase champion, missed only one fairway in her round and her lone bogey was on the par-3 16th. Allison Hanna, Nancy Scranton, Kim Saiki and Teresa Lu all had opening 69s. Sun Young Yoo and Lu were both 3 under when play was stopped at 6:13 p.m. because of heavy rain. Yoo had four holes to play, one more than Lu. But both bogeyed their first full hole after the 1:23 delay. Yoo had one hole left when play was called at 8:03 p.m., and she was to finish her first round Friday morning. -AP
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