Paula Creamer takes control with a round of 65 - LPGA Tournament of Champions 2007

Paula Creamer grabbed a five-stroke lead halfway through the one million-dollar LPGA Tournament of Champions, firing a bogey-free seven-under par 65 Friday to seize command.

The 21-year-old US standout birdied her final seven holes Thursday, then picked up where she left off by starting round two with a birdie. Creamer added birdies at six and eight and began the back nine with a birdie as well.

Birdies at 15, 16 and the 18th left Creamer on 12-under par 132 after 36 holes, five ahead of second-place Jin Joo Hong of South Korea.

US veteran Meg Mallon, who shared the lead with Creamer when the day began, struggled to an 82 and fell to a share of 29th.

Three of Creamer's closest pursuers - Hong, Sweden's Annika Sorenstam and Britain's Karen Stupples - each fired 67s to stay in the hunt.

Sorenstam, seeking her first title of 2007, was third on 138. She birdied five of the first seven holes on the back nine but a bogey at 17 dropped her behind Hong and level with American Pat Hurst.

Stupples was sixth on 139, one atop Norway's Suzann Pettersen and three strokes ahead of American Wendy Ward, Korean Birdie Kim and Sweden's Carin Koch.

World number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, American Natalie Gulbis and Koreans Se Ri Pak and Seon Hwa Lee were on 143.

The event features 35 winners of LPGA events from 2004 through this season and is the year's penultimate event, the final qualifier for next week's Tour Championship.