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SYLVANIA, Ohio - The Marathon Classic isnt a match-play tournament. Except for maybe this year. Beatriz Recari birdied the two closing par 5s to catch Paula Creamer atop the leaderboard through 54 holes Saturday, setting up a head-to-head battle between players who are three shots clear of the field. Recari, a 26-year-old Spaniard who has won twice on the LPGA Tour, conceded that its hard not to get caught up in a two-person competition. "Definitely, its easier because youre playing with the player closest to you in score," she said. "You still have to do your best. You cant control what she does, so you always have to stay focused on what youre doing." They were at 12-under 201 after each shooting 4-under 67. The showdown could be a preview. Recari is expected to make the European team for the Solheim Cup next month — where match play rules — and Creamer is one of the mainstays of the American side. Creamer, who won in 2008 when the tournament was known as the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic, led throughout the round by as many as two shots before Recaris late surge at Highland Meadows. She was pleased to find herself being the hunted instead of the hunter. "I love this feeling," said Creamer, who has nine wins but none since the 2010 U.S. Womens Open. "I havent felt it for a while. Ive normally been chasing the leaders, but this is great. This is right where I wanted to be." The last time she played in the same group with Recari, it was Recari who had the edge. In the third round of the Kia Classic in March in California, Recari shot a 69 when paired in the last grouping with Creamer, who had a 71. Recari, who had won the CVS last year, ended up winning in a playoff with I.K. Kim. Creamer faded to a tie for 17th. "Shes a great player," Recari said. "Its always great to play with her." Creamer, who set the tournament record with a first-round 60 in her victory lap five years ago, is expecting a battle. "Shes steady. She hits a lot of fairways and greens and gives herself a lot of opportunities to make birdies," she said about Recari. "At the same time, there are so many players out there that you have to kind of be aware of. But shes definitely going to be fighting until the end." Jessica Shepley of Owen Sound, Ont., shot 69 and sits at 2 under in a tie for 33rd, while Maude-Aimee Leblanc (73) of Sherbrooke, Que., is 2 over in a tie for 60th. Torontos Rebecca Lee-Bentham is shot further back after firing a 74 and is tied for 67th. There are plenty of potential challengers, even though several of the biggest names — including world No. 1 Inbee Park, defending champ So Yeon Ryu and top amateur Lydia Ko all fell back into the pack. Rising American teen Lexi Thompson had a 67 and, along with Jacqui Concolino and Japans Chie Arimura, was three shots back. "Ive been working on trusting my targets — picking out a target and just visualizing my shot," Thompson said. "Thats what Ive been doing every shot. Ive committed pretty good to them." Concolino, whose career-best tie for 11th came at the event last year, had a 69. She has revived her desire to play since taking time off from competitive golf after graduating from Vanderbilt in 2009. "I just got a little burnt out in college and needed some time to myself," she said of her lengthy hiatus. "Ever since I was 13, Ive been doing everything for golf, golf, golf. I never really had time to enjoy friends and family how you would want to. So thats what I did for a year and a half, two years, and started to get back on track." Arimura, fourth in the LPGAs rookie standings, three-putted the final hole for bogey and a 68. Jennifer Johnson (66), Chella Choi (66) and Jodi Ewart Shadoff (68) were at 205. Park has been the talk of the tour this year, with six victories including wins in all three of the major championships. Shell go for four in a row when the tour returns to action in two weeks at the Womens British Open at St. Andrews. But after winning three in a row and with a solid finish last week, she sagged to a 73 that left her tied for 23rd. She double-bogeyed the first hole after hitting her drive into a fairway bunker and never recovered. That wasnt the worst of it. "I just putted really bad today," she said, after dropping from sole possession of fifth place through 36 holes. "Outside of that, everything else was really similar (to earlier rounds of 67 and 69), but nothing seems to be going in." Ryu, who shot a 62 in the final round to win a year ago by seven strokes, shot a 70 and was six shots back of the leaders. Ko became the youngest LPGA winner ever when she took the Canadian Womens Open last year at 15, but she had a 71 and was tied with Ryu at 207. Alison Walshe, tied with Recari and Creamer after the second round, fell back with a 73. Creamer said that shell try not to concentrate only on her version of match play with Ricari. "You can get hot out here and shoot a low number, so I cant worry too much about what shes doing," she said. "Ive got to go out and play my own game because there are going to be a lot of players that can fire at pins and post a low score. Ill just have to make as many birdies as I can." ___ Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RustyMillerAP Cheap Zach Davies Jersey . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Cheap Adrian Houser Jersey . Ivanovic was leading 7-5, 1-0 when Hantuchova withdrew after falling 0-40 behind in the second game. The match started slowly for Ivanovic, who surrendered her first two serves as Hantuchova took a 5-3 lead. http://www.cheapbrewersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-paul-molitor-jersey . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Cheap Brewers Jerseys China . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Cheap Josh Hader Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. LEXINGTON, Ky. -- It took every ounce of effort and a track record, but A. P. Indian stayed unbeaten in 2016 when edging Limousine Liberal in a thrilling 164th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Phoenix Stakes on Friday, opening day of the Keeneland fall meet.After a prolonged stretch duel, A. P. Indian was a nose in front on the wire when completing the six-furlong distance in 1:08.43 over a fast track. The hard-fought victory was the sixth in as many starts this year for the 6-year-old A. P. Indian, who now heads to the Nov. 5 Breeders Cup Sprint at Santa Anita as one of the obvious favorites.Hes just been a champion all along, said winning jockey Joe Bravo. What makes him so special is he listens. He breathes, he relaxes. It wasnt like we were out there running against nothing. My hats off to the horse who took us to the wire. He was really tough.A .P. Indian returned $2.80 as a heavy favorite in a field of seven older horses. Limousine Liberal, a 6-1 shot ridden by Jose Ortiz, was another 3-1/2 lengths before Amis Flatter, the 9-2 second choice who was up in the final jump to get third over Alsvid.Before an ontrack crowd of 19,882, and under sultry conditions for early October, The Great War set the pace to the quarter pole while tracked closely by Limousine Liberal to the outside and A .P. Indian along the rail. After straightening away, the two chasers pulled away from the others.I was worried since the three-eighths pole when he got shuffled back, said Arnaud Delacour, who trains A.dddddddddddd P. Indian at Fair Hill in northern Maryland for the geldings breeders, the Green Lantern Stables of Richard Masson. I knew it was going to be tough to make up ground. He did a great job.Delacour scratched A. P. Indian last weekend from the Grade 1 Vosburgh when the track came up sloppy at Belmont Park. A .P. Indian, by Indian Charlie, now has won 11 of 17 career starts and earned $1,262,434.The Phoenix is a Win and Youre In event toward the BC Sprint, but A .P. Indian already had his free ticket after capturing the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on Aug. 27. That means the narrow defeat was even more costly for Limousine Liberal than the difference between the first- and second-place shares of the Phoenix purse. Ben Colebrook trains the 4-year-old Limousine Liberal for K.K. Ball.When [A .P. Indian] went by me, my horse dug back in, said jockey Jose Ortiz. I think one more stride and he would have gotten him.While the time was quick, this is just the fifth meet at Keeneland since Polytrack was replaced by a new dirt surface and all track records began anew.The attendance was a record for a Friday opening of the fall meet.The $2 exacta (1-5) paid $8.20, the $1 trifecta (1-5-3) returned $13.30, and the 10-cent superfecta (1-5-3-4) was worth $3.88. ' ' '