U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 19, 2014

Paula Creamer

Q. First round U.S. Open, you'll take it?
PAULA CREAMER: Definitely I'll take it. It played tough this afternoon. The fairways were getting so firm, just in front of the greens. The last couple of days we were able to kind of pitch it around the front and let it just chase up there. But today we were landing -- on the back nine -- which is -- my back nine, which was the front nine, and hitting them literally five, six short of the front of the green. It's a little bit drier there, too. It was playing a lot like a British Open course today.

Q. How hard was it to stay patient throughout this first nine holes without a birdie?
PAULA CREAMER: It was really hard, actually. Just coming out and you're teeing off on 10, reachable par-5, you've got to hit it in the right spot and all this. I missed about a five and a half, almost 6-footer for birdie. It took a while, a couple of groups late, had to just really settle down. And my caddie, Colin and I, just figured out, as the day went on, I got more and more comfortable, kind of found my iron swing and was able to be a little bit more precise, instead of -- it's easy to play scared out here, and that's just not my game. But it's very easy to go that way. And that's, I think, one of the hardest parts about this golf course.

Q. (Inaudible.)
PAULA CREAMER: It is. I mean, we can hit all the shots. We can do that. We can put the ball in the spot where you want to, it's just you have to do it and you know where not to go and things like that makes it a little bit more difficult. I am, if somebody would have said even par today, I would have said sure. I would have sat on my couch and watched, especially in the afternoon. Tomorrow it's still going to be difficult, it's still going to be hard. But those first couple of holes you've just got to feel it out a little bit better.

Q. You were happy with that game plan was, maybe the execution didn't come out the way you wanted to?
PAULA CREAMER: No, I definitely, like I said, I hit a lot of great shots out there, a couple of careless -- not careless, but just didn't hit a good iron shot. You know, I bogeyed my last hole. But it's going to happen. I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I made some really good saves and hit some really good shots. I would say that we had to change our strategy as the day went on, just because it was getting so much firmer. It was hot today and the ball was just bouncing a little bit more than it has the last couple of days.

Q. Does your mindset change now going into, like you said, a morning time tomorrow, the course should play a little softer?
PAULA CREAMER: It's still going to be firm. It's still going to be bouncing. It also depends on how much, if it does rain. We've been really lucky, we haven't had much rain out here. It's been consistent like that with these storms. But it's nice that you have a quick turnaround. It's hard because you have a quick turnaround, but it's also good because I'm feeling really good, I'm in a good place, and come right out and hopefully pick up and have a good couple of starts, first couple of holes, until I can give myself some good birdie looks?

Q. A lot of the guys last week pretournament were saying they thought even par or maybe 1 or 2-over would win the tournament, but Martin shot lights out, but do you think this is sort of -- do you go out there, is shooting even par, is that the objective?
PAULA CREAMER: You're never going -- you're going to be fine shooting even par every day, that's for sure. You're not going to get -- you just have to stay with whoever is playing well. Like I said, it is difficult going out and you see 3-under is leading. I barely even looked at the board. I just saw that when I finished. Because you have to play the golf course for what you take it for. Who knows? Tomorrow morning might be different. They might not do anything to these greens. You never know if a storm comes up or whatnot. It's the first day, we've got a lot of golf left. And you just -- I've been in this position before. I think it helps a lot having to have won an Open and then constantly giving myself opportunities, you learn a lot.

Q. What's the -- quickly, your finding everything on the course, and in comes 90 plus degree weather, sure, you've played it before, but how does that factor in to what you're trying to get accomplished on the course?
PAULA CREAMER: Like I said, it's really hot. It's not only hot for me, but my caddie. He has to stay hydrated just as much as I do, get numbers in the right places and things like that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports