Jodi Ewart Shadoff is one of the few LPGA Tour players to use an anchored putting stroke, a method the U.S. Golf Association and Royal & Ancient Golf Club have proposed banning.
''I've said this a lot of times, but all you have to do is look at my putting stats to know it's not a huge advantage,'' Ewart Shadoff said Friday after her second round in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. ''To be honest, if they do decide to ban it, it wouldn't be a huge issue for me. I'd have to spend a couple months really working out with a short putter, but it wouldn't be a huge deal for me.''
The USGA and Royal & Ancient Golf Club proposed the ban late last year. If adopted, it would go into effect in 2016.
''If they go ahead and do ban it, then I probably expect to use it and start making the switch in the offseason,'' said Ewart Shadoff, who has used an anchored putting stroke since November 2011. ''I did actually go back to the short putter in Malaysia at the end of last year for the first round. That didn't go so well. I actually hole more long putts with the short putter, but I'm very consistent with the belly putter within 6 feet.''
Ewart Shadoff shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead with Suzann Pettersen and Na Yeon Choi. The 25-year-old Englishwoman had a 72 on Friday to remain tied for the lead with the afternoon starters still on the course.
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CREAMER COMEBACK: Fighting illness and mourning her grandmother's death, Paula Creamer played her way into contention in the second round.
''I'm definitely sick,'' Creamer said. ''My grandma passed away and I'm just not sleeping. My body kind of shut down. But last night was a rough night, but other than that, I'm feeling a little bit better.''
Creamer followed her opening 2-over 74 with a 68, playing the final 13 holes in 5 under.
''I just made more putts,'' Creamer said. ''I had a couple of bogeys early on, but fought back hard and played well on the back nine, which is the front nine.''
The 26-year-old American is winless since the 2010 U.S. Women's Open. The nine-time tour champion came close to ending the long drought last year at Kingsmill, but lost to Jiyai Shin on the ninth hole of a playoff.
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SLEEPING GIANT: Second-ranked Yani Tseng was 3 over after opening rounds of 72 and 75.
Winless in more than a year, the 24-year-old Taiwanese star had a triple-bogey 7 on No. 7 - her 15th hole of the day - after she pulled her 3-wood drive left and out of bounds.
''One shot costs three more shots, but everything else is fine,'' Tseng said. ''I was hitting driver, but today, because of the downwind, I chose the 3-wood, and I didn't pick the shot I wanted to hit. And I didn't like the target I picked and I just kind of pulled to the left.''
After a good start to the season in Australia and Asia, she lost the No. 1 spot in the world to Stacy Lewis three weeks ago in Phoenix, then was booted out of the Kia Classic a few days later when she overslept and missed her pro-am tee time.
She has played well at Mission Hills, winning in 2010 and finishing second in 2011 and third last year.
''I know I can make a bunch of birdies out there,'' Tseng said. ''Today is the past, and I'll learn from today, and I won't make the same mistakes tomorrow.''
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DIVOTS: Travis Wilson was back at work Friday as Stacy Lewis' caddie, a day after he was taken to an urgent care center because of flu-like symptoms. ... Hall of Famer Amy Alcott, making a rare tour start at age 57, shot 81-80. She won the tournament in 1983, 1988 and 1991.
