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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 30, 2007

Paula Creamer

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

MODERATOR: Great round. Shot 5-under par, currently tied for the lead. Talk about your day.
PAULA CREAMER: I hit the ball really good. Gave myself a lot of chances I missed I think two fairways, one was really in the rough, one was the first cut. And I think I hit almost every green.
So gave myself a lot of chances and we'll take it. But two more days left. So that's a lot of golf.

Q. Can we go over your score card. Birdie on 2?
PAULA CREAMER: Par 5, I went driver, laid up to about 70 yards. And I hit it to four feet. Driver 4, 58-degree wedge.

Q. Birdie on 9?
PAULA CREAMER: I went driver, 3-wood, and I had 75 yards with my 58, and I hit it about six feet.

Q. Birdie on 10?
PAULA CREAMER: Driver, 8-iron, a little 8-iron, hit about two feet, three feet maybe.

Q. Birdie on 12?
PAULA CREAMER: Driver, little 8-iron about 10 feet above the hole kind of to the right.

Q. And birdie on 14?
PAULA CREAMER: Par 3. 8-iron to about two feet.

Q. You've been spending some time on the putting green of late the last few days is there something specifically you were looking for or what you did find?
PAULA CREAMER: A little bit of my speed control. I think that was a big thing for me. I had a lot of good looks at 10, 15-footers yesterday and today. And I was kind of just working on my speed out on the putting groove. Felt like I was coming up and out of my stroke. I went out and practiced later on to work on staying down.
Now I feel very confident over the ball. These greens are kind of tricky to read. It's almost like they're so firm, but they don't, you know, roll real fast. But it's a weird combination. I went out and tried -- I knew I was playing in the afternoon so I could putt on some more greens.

Q. You said you gave yourself a lot of chances. As happier as you are with 67, how close was this to 64 or 65?
PAULA CREAMER: Goodness, I had so many looks. I missed 18, 17. Geez, goes on the front 9, too. I had looks at 3, 4, 6. There was a lot of chances that I had out there.
But I have to be patient. I have to take my pars and just keep focusing on the next shot. And that's the biggest thing. Is my speed is around the hole, they're bound to fall in sooner or later.

Q. How close were you on 17 and 18?
PAULA CREAMER: 17, geez I had 515. 18 I had seven feet, eight feet, maybe. I've been having really good looks at it.

Q. (Off microphone)
PAULA CREAMER: I'm sorry, what? 3, hit it to about five feet. 6 I was about -- 4 I was a little further away but it was pretty makable putt. I had about 25 feet.
And 6, I hit it to about 12 feet above the hole. 8, I had eight feet, maybe. I just had a lot of chances. But I think I am used to kind of making my way not making the putts, getting kind of anxious out there. It's a major. 4-under is leading in two days. And I think that's something that I've kind of overcome.
But like I said, there's a lot of golf left. I keep telling myself you have to be able to finish it up, 36 more holes.

Q. Are you saying previously if you had a day like this you might be frustrated?
PAULA CREAMER: Not frustrated, but it could have been earlier in the round. Starting off hitting it five, six feet on a lot of the holes. Not making those. I might have been able to get into my way, I think it's a little bit more maturity and just learning, experiencing these things. And my past majors and taking that to this one.

Q. You had said yesterday, after a 73, and we were talking about 62s out there this year, and you were talking about it's out there. Did that belief carry forward for today or did you have to convince yourself of that?
PAULA CREAMER: No, it definitely carried on. I'm hitting the ball really good. I'm hitting a lot of my targets. I told a reporter earlier, I think the biggest thing for me is I have a lot of confidence in Colin, my caddie, as well, the origins and numbers. He's been out here so many years and he knows that.
I'm staying over the ball. I'm confident with what I have and what the shot is. And I can only make a swing at it and know that. And I think that's a big thing, a big advantage that I feel I have for myself.

Q. I guess the flip side of having a lot of good looks is you hit it close quite a bit and you talk about your confidence. But talk about standing in the fairway, looking down and how you're feeling standing over the ball?
PAULA CREAMER: My coach is here, David Wieland. We drove up the driving range. But my ball striking was good last week, too. It's better. It's getting better and better every week. I feel very confident in that.
My irons, I switched irons the beginning of the year, and I feel just like I've gained a couple of yards with them, too. And like I said the more you hit them solid, the better it's going to get out there.

Q. (Off microphone)
PAULA CREAMER: Pretty set.

Q. How is it different for you the week of a major? Obviously you've won a few times and earlier this year but you've also always coveted a major. How does it feel different to you this week, and given the position you're heading into the weekend, with a great chance, obviously?
PAULA CREAMER: I think I put so much emphasis on majors my first two years. This is my third year. I'm still winning a lot. A win is a win wherever you go. Obviously the majors are the biggest tournaments in golf. But I think if I just come in with the mind set of playing the game that I have, playing with the golf course, I think that can help me a lot and just take what I've learned from over the years in the other majors and just come shot by shot.
My patience is I think the biggest thing for me.

Q. What's the difference between playing with Annika and Lorena?
PAULA CREAMER: The difference? That's a good question. I mean Annika right now is the world number one player. Lorena is playing unbelievable. When you play with Lorena and she gets on a hot streak you just want to keep going with her. Annika, she didn't have very good two days these past two days. But she's still a competitor. She's still going to fight to the end. That's why she is Annika.

Q. Who is more chatty?
PAULA CREAMER: I don't really talk that much out on the golf course. I don't know.

Q. (Off microphone)
PAULA CREAMER: Yes. We have talk out there. But I really try to stay to myself.

Q. How old were you when you first touched a golf club?
PAULA CREAMER: 10.

Q. And played?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes.

Q. Was it fun the first time?
PAULA CREAMER: No. I didn't like it. I didn't. But then I started to get into it when I got a little older, 12 is when I really got serious.

Q. How surprised are you that Annika is a nonfactor this week?
PAULA CREAMER: Well, what is the cut? Annika is at? She's 7 over. I wouldn't count her out of it. Definitely. She's still out there. It's just confidence, I think.
But I think that you have to be able to go out there and play your own game and not worry about what Annika is doing, not worry about what Lorena is doing until it comes to the last hole, last couple of holes on the back 9 on Sunday.
There's still a lot of golf left. But it's hard to see that. I mean Annika has won here several times. She knows the golf course well. Everybody has their bad weeks and everybody has their good weeks.

Q. What's the craziest thing Christina Kim has ever said to you?
PAULA CREAMER: Next question.
(Laughter)
Q. Nothing stands out?
PAULA CREAMER: No, not really. I don't really know how to answer that question.

Q. As much as you want to treat this like any other tournament, how significant a chance is this and how meaningful would it be for if you can carry this through in the next two days?
PAULA CREAMER: This would be huge. This would be very big for myself, for my family. Just confidence in general. Winning a major is something I've always dreamed about. I put a lot of emphasis on like I said the last two years. Trying not to do that as much, but you have to look at it as I think last week was a really good tune-up for me. I stayed patient that week and coming into this week I have to do the same. But to win a major would be hands down very exciting, meaningful.

Q. I could come up with a list but what's your history with sleeping in on the weekend if you will in a major. Cherry Hills you were the second to last group maybe?
PAULA CREAMER: I think I was second to third last group on -- I think it was third to last on Sunday, I believe. I'm not sure about that. I think I was like two back or three back, I believe.

Q. First time last group of the weekend on a major?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes.

Q. Should that be any different than last week or last group in Hawaii or New York or wherever?
PAULA CREAMER: No, it shouldn't be. Shouldn't be. I just have to focus on what the golf course is going to give me tomorrow. I'm sure it's just as hard as it was today if not harder, and I think taking that and just going out and hitting fairways and greens we'll be able to do, post up another good number.

Q. Has today changed your idea of what kind of score it might take to win this week?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes and no. I mean it's out there. That's for sure. I said it earlier, yesterday I said 62. You can do it out here. There's no doubt about that. But it's the weekend now. It's going to get harder. Probably not going to water those greens much more. There's brown areas on them.

Q. Have they already?
PAULA CREAMER: I think they have. I think they hand watered them, which obviously is not doing a lot. So this weekend it's going to be a lot tougher. Just going to have to go out and make pars and give yourself that birdie.

Q. You talked about being more patient in majors. Any example today beyond not getting frustrated with the missed putts but an example maybe a year ago you wouldn't have been patient in this format?
PAULA CREAMER: I think just standing on tee boxes, not taking -- there's some sucker pins out there that you're just going to have to face you'll have 35, 40-footer and par is a good score. Par 3-5 today, pin's up front. You can't really get that close.
You're going to have to 2-putt. Just things like that and trusting the clubs that I have and putting the ball in certain places.
And I think that was very important. I think yesterday was a bigger form of showing patience than today. Because I had some good par saves and I hit it in the rough a couple more times.
I think if I keep doing that, that will help me a lot. Not only this tournament but later down the road.

Q. We're supposed to get two more days of like today. Might be slightly hotter tomorrow and Sunday. Does the heat factor into any of the equation finishing this tournament off?
PAULA CREAMER: I mean it's hot. It's hot for everybody. I put a lot of sunscreen today. I'll have to go get more of that but that's about it. It dries the green out more and you have to realize that when you're playing in the afternoon.
And I think Colin and I did a good job about realizing that the ball's going to release 20 yards on certain greens.

Q. (Off microphone)
PAULA CREAMER: 90 yards, two 10s.

Q. (Off microphone)
PAULA CREAMER: I didn't need to. I can make birdie with my wedge.

Q. Do you always take that stance?
PAULA CREAMER: I'm a pretty aggressive player. If I needed to do it, I would have done it. We still have 36 more holes. I thought I could make birdie with my wedge. Gave myself a good opportunity to do it. I just didn't make the putt. But I set myself up for that.

Q. (Off microphone)
PAULA CREAMER: I said what do we have, what do we have on the front? But it's only Friday.

End of FastScripts

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