Miyazato withdraws from LPGA event after car crash

• By Ryan Lavner
• Feb 27, 2013 7:53 AM ET

Still feelings the effects from a recent five-car crash, Ai Miyazato withdrew from the HSBC Women’s Champions on Wednesday, citing whiplash. Miyazato practiced for about 15 minutes at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, where she won in 2010, before telling officials that she would be unable to play.

“I have pain in my neck and shoulder, so I’ll sit this tournament out as a precaution,” she said in a statement.

The news is better for Paula Creamer, if only slightly. Though she was unable to play in the pro-am Wednesday, she attended a photo shoot this week and is hopeful of teeing it up Thursday.

On Monday, Creamer tweeted that she “felt like a ping pong ball” after being in the middle of a five-car crash as the LPGA players headed to the airport Sunday after the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand event. Creamer said then that both she and longtime caddie Colin Cann both suffered whiplash and likely would be sore for several weeks. 

Suzann Pettersen also traveled with the group, but managed to avoid the accident in the trailing car.

“I’ve felt better, that’s for sure,” Creamer said, according to Reuters. “Those things happen all the time and you can’t control something like that. I had pretty bad whiplash from hitting the headrest but I took it easy and hope that I can tee it up on Thursday. 

“It’s pretty amazing, like I said, how we walked away, but things happen.”