Kerr, Creamer, Stanford lead Americans in Sybase

Published May. 21, 2011 8:28 p.m. ET

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Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Angela Stanford posted third-round victories to advance to the quarterfinals of the $1.5 million Sybase Match Play Championship Saturday.

There was only one major upset in the round of 16.

Michelle Wie lost to Sophie Gustafson of Sweden. The No. 42 seed sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Hamilton Farm Golf Club to defeat the ninth-seeded Wie 1-up.

Others winners included top-ranked Yani Tseng of Taiwan, top-seeded Na Yeon Choi of South Korea, Suzann Pettersen of Norway and Ai Miyazato of Japan.

The quarterfinal pairings Saturday will be Choi vs. Gustafson, Tseng vs. Pettersen, Stanford vs. Creamer and Kerr and Miyazato.

''I played horribly. I didn't hit the ball very well,'' said Wie, who lost in the quarterfinals here last year. ''I fought until the end, hit a good bunker shot, but she made a good putt and there is nothing I can do about that.''

Wie wasn't the only American to lose at the final hole.

Pettersen, the No. 3 player, sank an 8-foot birdie putt to eliminate Stacy Lewis 1-up. The winning putt came seconds after Lewis misread a 10-foot birdie attempt.

Kerr, who had not trailed in her first two matches, was 1-down twice in the match against Kyeong Bae of South Korea. The reigning LPGA champion evened the match with a birdie at No. 11 and took control winning the 13th with a birdie and the next two holes with pars en route to a 3 and 2 win.

Stanford, who lost in the final to Sun Young Yoo last year, scored her third straight easy win, ousting Meena Lee of South Korea 5 and 4.

Creamer never trailed in beating fellow American Brittany Lang 3 and 2. The defending U.S. Women's Open champion took the lead with birdies at Nos. 11th and 12th holes and finished off a 3 and 2 win when Lang bogeyed the par-3, No. 16.

Miyazato won the 12th, 13th and 14th holes to go 4 up against Inbee Park of South Korea. The No. 6 seed eventually closed out the match with a birdie at No. 17 for a 2 and 1 victory.

Choi never trailed against Canada's Alena Sharp, the No. 50 seed who ousted Yoo in the second round. Leading 1-up after 15 holes, Choi won the 16th with a par and closed out the match with a birdie at No. 17.

Tseng had the most impressive third round, playing 15 holes in 6-under. She had seven birdies and a bogey in beating Julieta Granada of Paraguay.