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WENDY'S CHAMPIONSHIP FOR CHILDREN

August 24, 2005

Paula Creamer

DUBLIN, OHIO

PAUL ROVNAK: Paula, thanks for coming in. We appreciate your time. You have two wins on LPGA Tour this year, you just won recently in Japan. Three wins worldwide this year. Terrific year for you. You played here last year as an amateur.

PAULA CREAMER: Right.

PAUL ROVNAK: Finished 18th. What a difference a year makes. Could you just talk about coming back.

PAULA CREAMER: Well, definitely going into this tournament, you know, I feel like I know the course better than all the other events since I played it. That definitely helps. Not as many practice rounds. I didn't play Monday. I'm a little bit more rested. Last week I think I was just really, really tired, all the jetlag I had. Now I'm ready to go.

I'm really excited to play this week. Now as a professional, makes it even better.

PAUL ROVNAK: We'll go ahead and take questions.

Q. Does it get your blood pumping a little more when Sorenstam is in the field? So many other people talk about when Tiger is in the field. Does it mean a little extra?

PAULA CREAMER: Definitely. I'm really pumped, too, as well because I'll be playing with her the next two days. That's always a plus when you get to play with her. You know, I'm really excited for it. You know, hopefully I'll play good golf. I'm playing good, so I'm ready.

Q. 95 of the top 100 are here this week. The field is terrific. Talk about the challenge of that, a tournament with a wonderful field.

PAULA CREAMER: Right, this is one of the better fields that we have. That's definitely a good thing, as well, because the competition. The course is one of those courses where it brings a lot of people into the leaderboard. It's not like the trickiest off the tee. You can still hit a bad drive and you'll be okay. It's more of just your approach shots and how many putts you make out on this golf course. So you're going to have to play good.

Q. Could you provide some detail on your itinerary the last two weeks that created the jetlag.

PAULA CREAMER: I went France, British Open, then I had a couple days off. Then I went to New York the next week for three days. Saturday, Sunday Sunday I was at Solheim Cup practice. I left for Japan Monday. I was there for a week. I left Japan Monday, the following Monday afternoon, and arrived in Portland, Oregon Monday morning. That week I was at Portland.

Q. Then you flew out of Portland Sunday night or Monday?

PAULA CREAMER: Sunday night.

Q. To come here?

PAULA CREAMER: Yes. So I didn't do anything Monday. Just kind of slept, went shopping, took the day off from golf.

Q. Were you in Cleveland for a day?

PAULA CREAMER: That was the day I got back from British Open. I went from British Open to the First Tee. When did I leave British Open? I left British Open Monday. I had First Tee I believe on Tuesday.

Q. Is this the most time zones you've flown through since you turned professional? Did you seek anybody's advice on how to handle such a travel schedule?

PAULA CREAMER: Well, it's tough to handle, going from a 14 hour time change. That just is fatiguing. You can't really do anything about that. I try to do more cardio than normal, try to get back used to doing normal things. There's no special thing to do to fix that. You know, just water. I drink a lot of water.

Q. When you're in the middle of this, how aware are you that you, Morgan and Michelle are just everywhere? Everyone is talking about you, your picture is everywhere. Is it something you're conscious of?

PAULA CREAMER: I guess I'm aware. I see when I'm on the golf course, I see the photographers. I don't go searching to see, "Where am I? Where am I?" I just try to take care of my business, try to play good golf. If that happens, then I guess I'd be in more types of things.

Q. Is it surprising that it's happened this fast? Really you've kind of pushed Annika somewhat to the fringes a little bit.

PAULA CREAMER: Well, I mean, my goals were to win several times this year. It's not that it happened fast; it's just that I'm happy that I've completed some of my goals that I wanted to do. You know, like I said, I expect myself to win. When I do that, I'm never satisfied unless I complete all my goals. So far I've done a couple of them. There's still some things that I want to try to achieve.

Q. Do you measure yourself against Annika in terms of success? Is she the one to kind of catch?

PAULA CREAMER: She's the No. 1 player in the world, so of course.

Q. That's what you want to be?

PAULA CREAMER: Yes, definitely, uhm hmm.

Q. A couple times this season you mentioned patterning your behavior after her. She comes to the golf course, does her work, doesn't chitchat, leaves. How much have you studied her? What other things have you borrowed from her approach?

PAULA CREAMER: Well, I mean, I want to see what she does. Obviously, what she does may work it works for her, but it wouldn't work for me. I'm still very aware of what she does. She's long. Just things about her golf game that I need to learn more of. The way she her course management on the golf course is unbelievable. She rarely makes bogeys. I mean, there's just things like that that I've been very aware of. Just her routine is one thing, as well.

Q. You're one of three young people on the Solheim Cup team. Nancy Lopez had won 40 tournaments by the time she played it. Said it was the most scared she's ever been. How do you deal with that or are you afraid of nothing?

PAULA CREAMER: I think everybody is kind of making the experience of a Solheim Cup a bigger deal than what it is. I am so excited, I'm so pumped for that week. I think when you're there, it's just all adrenaline. I mean, I've played in several things like that. I played Junior Solheim Cup. I've been to the Solheim Cup twice. I haven't been in the ropes, but I've been there, so I know how many people go.

I think it's just going to be one of those weeks where you're just so excited that you're going to play great golf because it's one of the biggest weeks of the year.

Q. Excitement equals birdies?

PAULA CREAMER: Exactly. The more fun you have, the better you play, that's for sure.

Q. You and Morgan have played a lot of amateur golf together. What do you think about her game? Is she ready to start this next year as you were this year?

PAULA CREAMER: It's hard to say because I haven't played a lot of golf with her lately. She's put up some good tournaments. She's played well. Her win at the Am was really good. Once it comes around, I mean, it took me a couple weeks to actually settle into the tour. It definitely is a reality change when you get on tour, it's not what you envision. There's not much free time involved, but it's something I love. If she feels the same way as me, then she'll do, you know, pretty good.

Q. Are those initials on your earrings?

PAULA CREAMER: No. It says Dior.

Q. Is that an endorsement?

PAULA CREAMER: No.

Q. Not yet.

PAULA CREAMER: Jay, get on that one!

PAUL ROVNAK: Thank you.

PAULA CREAMER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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