August 8, 2003
2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur
Gladwyne , Pennsylvania
An Interview with:
PAULA CREAMER
BETH MURRISON: Paula , congratulations.
PAULA CREAMER: Thank you.
Q. Great job, you made it to the semifinals of the Women's Amateur. How are you feeling right now?
PAULA CREAMER: Very good. I played good golf today. It just really wasn't Erica 's day out there. My putter was hot. In Match Play, that's not what you really want to get up against. She is a great player and I had a lot of fun out there. We will see what happens tomorrow.
Q. What did you learn at the Girl's Junior that has helped you this week, if anything?
PAULA CREAMER: I would say to never give up. There are plenty of holes out there. You just play your game. You play your opponents. You don't really play the golf course that much. You take what it gives you. You just go out and you have fun and learn from your mistakes.
Q. You are striking the ball, and putting a lot better in the second round, better than first round, you didn't have very much time in between, what turned it around for you, did you change anything?
PAULA CREAMER: No, actually the first round against Annie Thurman , no, we both played terrible. No one really wanted to win that match. I can't really explain it.
But the second match, I hit the ball better definitely. I think it was just that I got all of my bad shots out on that match. But I know I had to play good against Erica or I would be going home and that's what really did it.
Q. Did that putt on the first hole get you off to a start, give you some momentum?
PAULA CREAMER: It did, that putt. And we both halved that par-5 and from there I had control of the match.
Q. Do you know if that putt on 7 was to save par?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes.
Q. The first putt you were 12 feet short?
PAULA CREAMER: I had about a 50 yard putt.
Q. Were you on the green?
PAULA CREAMER: I was like this far on the green. After I putted I told my dad I should have chipped it. You know you can chip it on the green. But you learn from your mistakes.
Q. Probably a good 60 feet and you left it 12 feet short, how significant was that when you made that par putt to 12 feet?
PAULA CREAMER: I had a lot of adrenaline for that. I birdied the next two holes. I think, I saved a good par. And I think every day so far I have bogeyed it. So I wasn't going to bogey it again.
Q. She was taking a lot of time between holes, did that throw you out of your rhythm at all?
PAULA CREAMER: No, not really. No, it didn't. It didn't bother me that much. I didn't know really what to do about it. There was nothing that I could do. The rules official said something to her but our time was fine. It wasn't that big of a deal to me.
MR. PAUL CREAMER : That was a 90-footer. I just looked it up on the pin sheet.
Q. On 7? And you left it 12 feet short at least.
A. At least. It was straight uphill, too. All of these breaks going on.
Q. Does your dad regularly caddy for you?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes, except in the U.S. Girl's because he is not allowed. But every other tournament, LPGA too, and the U.S. Open he caddied for me.
Q. He caddied for you in Rochester , what was the experience like?
A. The fans there were amazing. All of the people were great. That's an excellent golf course. I think that really got me prepared for The Open because of the thick rough and pretty speedy greens. That was a lot of fun.
My family came to watch. A bunch of my dad's brothers, my aunts and uncles were there. That was a lot of fun to see them.
Q. Do you do anything different at an event like this or is the pressure getting to you a little bit?
PAULA CREAMER: You know I love pressure so that's a good thing. But it's the Women's Am and I am in the semis. So far that's pretty good. Obviously I want to win the tournament but we're just having fun out there.
Q. Is this your first Women's Amateur ?
PAULA CREAMER: No, this is my second. Right dad, second? I lost last year in my first match. I made it in like a 15 way playoff for 3 spots -- 2 spots. And I birdied. We were in the hotel room looking on the computer, packing our bags. My dad said, Paula , you have to get over there. I was in gym shorts and sneakers. I hit 2 balls on the range and then I made birdie. So that was fun. That was exciting.
Q. How would you describe your play today and your putting, is this the best putting of the week for you so far?
A. I would say so yes. I think I was really in it mentally because I knew I had to play well and I think that helped me a lot just knowing that I had to do well. My putting was very good. I mean I only had maybe 2 putts out there.
MR. PAUL CREAMER : You hit it close.
PAULA CREAMER: Yes, I gave my putter a chance really and I think that's what did it.
Q. Have you ever played Erica in Match Play ?
PAULA CREAMER: No, I haven't.
Q. You haven't met her for a while since at the Junior's Tournament , I guess?
PAULA CREAMER: I think the last time I played with her was at Cannon Cup, right dad?
Q. So were you very surprised to be 5-up?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes, definitely. Especially in the quarter finals. 5-up in the tournament, I think anybody would take that. You know, things happen, and it was just my match out there really. She is a great player but it really wasn't, I don't think, her day to play well that time.
Q. You played a lot of high profile events this summer, you played The Open and LPGA events, do you think that's intimidating for your opponents?
PAULA CREAMER: I don't really think because I played in those tournaments it's intimidating. I think maybe the way I play and how I got there or how I played at those tournaments. But I wouldn't say just because I played in them that that's intimidating.
Q. The amount of experience you have got this summer, you've obviously gotten a lot?
PAULA CREAMER: I have.
Q. How does that help you particularly now that you are in the semifinals?
PAULA CREAMER: You know I hit a lot of golf balls this summer, and I think that's helped. I have been under different circumstances out on the golf course. And I learned a lot from that, and I think there are just little bits and pieces out there that I take and I use them out here.
Having my dad caddy for me is definitely a help and a plus, even though we do get in little arguments out there.
Q. What's your dad's first name?
PAULA CREAMER: Paul . Paul and Paula .
Q. Are you guys a lot alike?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes, too much alike.
MR. PAUL CREAMER : Stubborn.
A. He is never wrong in his mind. It's funny, the one bunker shot against Annie Thurman , I have probably heard about that bunker shot 45 minutes while we were waiting because he told me to hit a certain club. He said, "never doubt me."
MR. PAUL CREAMER : I was kidding because if it is ever wrong I hear about it for three weeks, so I wanted credit if something comes out good at least once.
Q. Does that make you feel a lot more comfortable having your dad on the bag?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes, it is. He helps me control my emotions with my golf game. Besides, I think he knows my golf game better than anybody.
Q. You stayed calm today, do you sometimes have a bit of a temper on the golf course?
PAULA CREAMER: No, I mean it's not like I'm just oh, that's okay. I do get mad at myself but I don't like slam dunk clubs or anything. If I did that my dad would probably take me off the golf course.
MR. PAUL CREAMER : She did once when she was 10 and a half. We walked straight to the house. I just picked up her clubs and walked. I said I'm not playing golf with you if you throw clubs.
PAULA CREAMER: I didn't throw it.
MR. PAUL CREAMER : To me you flicked it at the bag and that was good enough. That was 10 and a half and it's never occurred since.
Q. Is it hard for you to keep an even keel out there, to keep your emotions in check?
MR. PAUL CREAMER : Yes. I'm more tuned into her. My emotions are really irrelevant the way I look at it. It's her, you know. Wether things are going your way or not, I think you want to just keep an even keel. I have seen matches where somebody is playing great and they let it slip away and the opponents starts to believe and that's why I kept telling Paula today, keep the pressure on. Keep the pressure on. And fortunately Paula is 205 yards longer so there is constant pressure in that game, so she was hitting greater irons all day. Erica hit good shots and Paula was able to hit it's inside of her. It could be a whole different situation.
Q. Did you see anything different in her swing. She was leaking it to the right more in the morning, did you see anything different in her swing in the afternoon?
MR. PAUL CREAMER : We talked about ball position and finishing the swing. She gets trapped behind her.
PAULA CREAMER: I played awful. She would chunk it and I would chunk it on top of her.
MR. PAUL CREAMER : It was maybe the last four or five or 6 holes. The front 9 you guys didn't. There were lots of birdies.
PAULA CREAMER: I think we had 2 birdies that hole time. Mine was on one.
Q. Are you tired, how is your foot?
PAULA CREAMER: It's fine. It's pretty much all better. I would wear my air cuffs, when I get in a bunker, it's really restricting, so I can't move my ankle that much. I'm not letting any of that bother me or hold me back. I put this thing on.
Q. How physically demanding is the course?
PAULA CREAMER: It's very tiresome. It's very hilly. It's hot and humid and muggy and gross. You got to drink lots of water. It's great golf course. It's definitely a good test of golf. The putting greens out there, they are amazing. You never really have a flat putt.
Q. You have been gone for a while now, a long stretch, was this best ball striking of the stretch, you think, better than any of the junior?
PAULA CREAMER: The junior? Let's see. I hit the ball well at the junior. I did. It's hard to say just in one match, let alone the whole summer. I played this whole summer pretty consistent and I think that's what you have to do. You can't have your highs and lows. I can't really say.
Q. You just got the putts to fall today?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes. If my putting was like this every day I would love that. I think anybody would.
Q. What do you do for the rest of the day today, any practice?
PAULA CREAMER: Probably not, probably go back, maybe shopping. Maybe, we'll see, dad?
MR. PAUL CREAMER : You got your nails done, that's out of the way.
PAULA CREAMER: I get my nails done a lot.
Q. When did you do that?
PAULA CREAMER: I did that. My mom and I went and did laundry and we went and got our nails done. When was that?
MR. PAUL CREAMER : Last day of stroke play. Wednesday.
PAULA CREAMER: I only had 5 holes. I had the rest of the day. It was like 9:30 , we were done.
Q. What's your lucky ball marker?
PAULA CREAMER: I have a quarter, a 1965. I'm trying to find a '58 but I have been looking.
Q. What's significant about 65?
PAULA CREAMER: 65, that's a good score.
Q. Nothing happened in '65?
MR. PAUL CREAMER : It's the oldest one we found. She wanted a 58.
PAULA CREAMER: How did you know about my ball marker?
Q. You wrote it on your bio sheet, superstitions.
PAULA CREAMER: My pink tee is on there, isn't it?
Q. It was in the last tournament. You use the same quarter for a long time?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes, yes, I have used this for the whole summer. If I lose it we are in big trouble.
MR. PAUL CREAMER : I have been accused of losing it and fortunately we found it. I said put it back in the bag, it will still be there.
Q. Heaven forbid you run out of pink tees?
PAULA CREAMER: We have a big old bag. Some courses have pink tees. I don't know how they have them. I just kind of take them all.
BETH MURRISON : Thank you.
A. Thanks.
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