Creamer kicks off 2012 LPGA Tour season with first career ace

Paula Creamer got her 2012 LPGA Tour season off to a rollicking start Thursday with her first career hole-in-one. In her eighth season on tour, the 2010 U.S. Women's Open champ hit a 7-iron from 146 yards out on the par-3 12th hole at Siam Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand, and watched her golf ball take one hop and disappear.

"My first hole in one on the LPGA Tour and my second one ever," Creamer told reporters following the first round of the LPGA Thailand event. "That was pretty exciting. The funny part about it is in the practice round I told my caddy Colin that I’m going to have a hole in one this year, I know it. And then it happened today. So maybe I should say that more often."

Paula Creamer holes her first career ace in her first LPGA Tour event of the 2012 season (Photo: Victor Fraile/Getty Images)

The ace helped Creamer, who missed last week’s season-opening Women’s Australian Open to be a bridesmaid in her best friend’s wedding, to an even-par 72 and a share of 26th place. The fifth-ranked golfer in the world, Creamer said she was happy to get back in the swing of things after working on some changes during the offseason.

"Took my new swing to the course today and was very pleased," @ThePCreamer tweeted. "Good to get the rust off feeling good with 3 days left."

Creamer told reporters she had worked hard on her swing during the break and was "probably the most technical that I’ve ever been. That’s something I have to get used to and just being out there in competition."

Creamer, who went winless last year, was just five shots back of first-round leader Ai Miyazato’s 5-under 67. Miyazato won the event in 2010. Karrie Webb and Anna Nordqvist enter the second round at 4-under.

Tour rookie Lexi Thompson and defending champ Yani Tseng each carded a 1-over 73, a score that did not please the world No. 1.

"I’m very disappointed with the round today," Tseng said. "The course is not really hard and to shoot 1-over is really kind of sad."