U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 25, 2005

Paula Creamer

Q. Good front nine and then kind of stumbled coming in. What's the difference between the two nines?

PAULA CREAMER: I just tried to stay patient the whole day. I think on the back nine the greens, once again, I didn't really find a good speed out there. I three-putted 11. I was on in two, but I three-putted that hole and I three-putted the next one. And the wheels just kind of were striking right there, but I tried to stay patient. Had a birdie down the stretch, so that was good.

Q. Looking forward to facing the last round, major pressure tomorrow?

PAULA CREAMER: Of course, I am so excited. This is what I wanted to be, in contention. Obviously, I'd rather be five shots ahead, but you know, this is great. I think that I am going to sleep well tonight and I am really looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. How important was it for you to get off to good start on the first hole with that birdie?

PAULA CREAMER: That was a huge thing for me to hit that fairway on No. 1. I have been kind of in between tee shots, what to hit there so that was big.

Probably the most exciting thing for me today actually I hit 16 fairway I have missed it every day, and I hit the green and I made birdie. So that was probably the highlight of the day.

Q. What did you use on 1?

PAULA CREAMER: 3-wood.

Q. What would winning this tournament mean to you? Do you feel like you are ready to do that?

PAULA CREAMER: I do. I do. I feel I am ready. I am hitting the ball well. I feel very confident out here. I am making enough birdies to be under par. But I think that it's just a game of patience out there right now and I have 18 holes tomorrow, and this is a golf course where anything can happen.

Q. When you set the agenda in your mind, a year or five years ago whatever, did you see yourself competing for a major at this point?

PAULA CREAMER: Yes, I think so. My goals this year were to win a major and just to put myself in contention going into the weekend and Sunday. Yes and no. I started not real long ago, compared to some, so everything just moved fast for me.

Q. (Inaudible)?

PAULA CREAMER: I quit all my sports when I was 12, so that's when I just took up golf. Something I just really fell in love with.

Q. Among the contenders how does it feel to be one of the veterans in this group of four?

PAULA CREAMER: I mean, if I am a veteran then goodness (laughs). But I think that, you know, everybody on the leaderboard has a lot of experience. Going into major championship you have to be patient, you have to know that you are going to make some mistakes out there and just try to eliminate it.

Q. When you when you were 10, I guess within a year after that Tiger wins his first Masters. Did that have any effect on you whatsoever or did you look to other golfers?

PAULA CREAMER: No. Yes and no. We followed kind of, you know, the winning method of playing junior golf and amateur golf and things like that because of Tiger, but we have always done and tried to do what was best for me.

We moved to Florida when I was 14, so I mean we did a lot of things that were revolved around my goals and obviously to win a major championship is one of them.

Q. Junior golf, to what extent did you use --

PAULA CREAMER: I played AJGA, played amateur events, played in all the USGA events, I put myself in lots of positions to try to do well.

Q. Were you partnered with Morgan much? Have you seen and played with her?

PAULA CREAMER: We have played a lot of junior golf together, I mean, growing up that's what we AJGA's did. Of course I know her very well (check that ).

Q. Nothing she's done surprises you?

PAULA CREAMER: In what way?

Q. How she's doing here, that she's young and like you in contention?

PAULA CREAMER: Yeah, I mean. She's a good golfer and this golf course sets up well for her. Like I say, 18 holes tomorrow, you never know what is going to happen.

Q. Do you feel like you have learned anything or there was a difference between now how you approached things today than past years?

PAULA CREAMER: Money is on the line now, so I mean, that's a big difference. But I think that just being where I was last year being in somewhat of contention taking 13th, I think that that's helped me a lot knowing that I can play well in a US Open and I like the challenge of trying to play, as good as I can coming into Sunday.

Q. Emotions in the last round of a major, is it any different than the regular Tour event?

PAULA CREAMER: Oh, I am definitely -- I know I am going to be nervous. That's a given, but I think everybody is. It's just the way -- way to channel that energy and emotions is something that only experience can provide you with, how to play out there, but I feel very confident and I am going to try to stay on an even keel the whole way through. And like I said, you are going to make a lot of mistakes, but just you have to eliminate them.

Q. How is your arm?

PAULA CREAMER: Right now I don't really care about it, I think that I need to -- it's moving more into my thumb because it's just the way the injury works right now.

If I have a shot in the rough I am not going to hold back.

End of FastScripts.