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SEMGROUP CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY JOHN Q. HAMMONSApril 30, 2008Paula CreamerBROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA MIKE SCANLAN: Paula, thanks for coming in and joining us. Last week it was a tough one, but it was probably a great experience for you to be in your first playoff against no less than Annika. Take us through that a little bit. PAULA CREAMER: It actually wasn't my first playoff. People keep saying that, but it wasn't. I had one in Japan. It was my first LPGA playoff, but not as a professional. It was an interesting thing that happened. I learned a lot. I learned a lot about just being patient. But I went against one of the greatest players of all-time, and for that you can only learn so much. It was very difficult. I felt that I played really well that week and should've won. But at the same time, you have to finish the deal. MIKE SCANLAN: You've got a couple Top 10s at this course in your career. Can you just talk about being in Tulsa and a little bit about the course, what you saw out there. PAULA CREAMER: It's a great golf course, it really is. You have you have to hit it in certain places. It's so windy. I mean, it's a thinker's golf course right now. Pars are great. They will not hurt you out here. You know, it's kind of like a U.S. Open course because of how difficult it is and just where you land it and the bounces that you get you never know what's going to happen. It is, it's in pretty good shape. I mean, for all the storms that they've gone through and everything they have done a wonderful job of maintaining it, that's for sure. MIKE SCANLAN: Questions for Paula? Q. You said about the wind, you know, how it changes the course. Last year, first time was in the spring, couple of days you saw two different winds: one was out of the north and one was out of the south. It changed how it plays. With a forecast about 20, 25 miles an hour winds, is there a target score right now that you're thinking about for the first day or two that you would like to come in at? PAULA CREAMER: It's such a difficult question because pin placements, where they're going to -- certain tee boxes. One of the Par 3s I hit 3-wood into it. It's playing long. It's kind of like British Open. You're aiming 35 yards left of your target and bringing it back with the wind. It's fun. It's kind of frustrating at times if you're not in total control of everything. But that's kind of nice. You don't want to go out and have 25-under par win a golf tournament. It's Mother Nature. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow. I guess there's another storm coming through so it's going to be really windy. Anything around par will be a good score. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Yeah. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Yeah, down the stretch. Q. Which is more gratifying? PAULA CREAMER: Good question. Any win is gratifying. Having an 8-shot lead over the best players in the world is pretty impressive. But at the same time, finishing four out of five holes with birdies is also something to be proud of. Jeez, I don't know. That's -- I would maybe say the 8 shots, because that just shows that you were there and you won. You won that golf tournament then, yeah. Q. On a tour stop earlier this year, someone said with a streak Lorena is on it's almost like everyone else is playing for second. Do you feel that way a little bit? Can you allow yourself to feel that way? PAULA CREAMER: No, you cannot allow yourself to -- how are you supposed to beat her and become the No. 1 player in the world if you think like that. You know, I don't. I mean, I go out every week trying to win a golf tournament and try to play the best that I can and put myself in position. If somebody plays better, so be it. That's the way it is. But you can't mentally think like that. Q. Do you want any reaction to the streak she is on, having won her last four starts? PAULA CREAMER: I mean, that's great. She's playing wonderful golf and carefree golf, and she has a lot of confidence. That's the way it is and that's how golf is. It kind of comes and goes, but she's been really playing well and playing solid. It's good for me. It makes me have to work harder to get to where I want to be. Q. I was talking to Juli Inkster. She was saying how great the interest you and Lorena and a couple other younger players have generated. Talk about what it's like to have a role model like her out on tour. PAULA CREAMER: Juli Inkster has always been a role model for me every since I was 12 years old. It's wonderful. She's done so much for the game and for me. I wouldn't be here today really if it wasn't for her and Nancy Lopez. I think the biggest part was watching her play golf. She just -- you pull for her every time. She puts all of her heart into it, and you can see that. That's what I like. I like to see that emotion and she'll never give up. I think having a family and coming out on tour and being in contention with 21 year old people, I think that's pretty impressive. Q. What was it like with Nancy watching you last week? Did that add an element of desire? PAULA CREAMER: Definitely. She's always been very influential in my golf the past couple of years. To have her there was great. But at the same time, you know, I was nervous at first, trying to not do anything different. But just you're very aware of what's going on. I needed some help and I needed her to watch me seeing if she could see anything out there, and she did. She helped me a lot with my confidence and emotions. That's why she came out and did that, and I respect everything that she's done for me and my golf. Like I said, earlier, last week, she is one of my role models, but also one of my really good friends, too. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Yes. I met her before I won the Nancy -- the award when I was -- I don't remember how old I was. So I met her first time through that. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Yes. Amateur award, uh-huh. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: It was my '05 -- it was in 2005. My goodness. I won with a birdie, I remember that, but I don't remember who. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Because it's four days. In a match play it's only 18 holes or whatever you play. I felt that -- I think the biggest thing is because the second day I was 4-over through three holes. Anything can -- I started bogey, bogey, double. To come back from that diversity. And that's going back again to my emotions. I think in the past couple weeks it could have been a disastrous day. Just going back to that, I think that's why it was so hard. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Yes, it did. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: I was on a lot of medication the last couple weeks, and I don't think I ate a lot, but... Q. You were on drugs last week? PAULA CREAMER: No. Great, that's nice. MIKE SCANLAN: For the record, you are not on drugs. PAULA CREAMER: Let me repeat this: I am not on drugs. I've had never really been in that situation before. I wanted it so bad that I did things that were not normal, that I would have normally done in a normal -- 17th hole of a golf tournament, that kind of thing. That's something that I learned. Once again, you know, you have to not get too far ahead of yourself, and I did that. I think that's why my nerves got in the way. I think finishing 18 I was so disappointed that I didn't win, and going into that playoff my mindset was in kind of a different direction. So in instead of saying, Okay, we're here now. This is what have to do now to win the tournament. So instead of thinking, How could you bogey 17? Something like that. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Yes. Q. Last week's playoff loss, what does that do to your focus coming into this week? PAULA CREAMER: I'm so motivated to win a golf tournament right now. That's the only thing I've been thinking about. I had a nice three and a half hour drive back to Orlando that night, and there was a lot of thoughts going on in my head. Now I can take it as a positive. Here I am, four days of golf on a really tough golf course. Just get myself into a position to win it on Sunday, and that's something that you have to ask for. I played well. I feel looking back last year at certain people, events that they didn't win that they should have, they came back and won numerous times. I think that that's important and something to look at. Q. A lot of people are comparing the play of Lorena to Tiger. Would you say that that's a fair comparison? If so, in what aspect? I know a lot of people on the tour talk about intimidation. PAULA CREAMER: I'm not intimidated by many people. I respect everything that she's done for golf, especially for Mexico. I think that what she's done is phenomenal. But to compare her to Tiger, Tiger's been at the top for so many years. He's Tiger Woods. It's kind of hard to compare anybody to him right now. But I think that Lorena has definitely proved herself. She's the No. 1 player in the world right now. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Tiger would intimidate me, yeah. Q. This is, I think, your fifth straight year here at Cedar Ridge. How has the course, other than just the tree damage, has it changed much from your eye over the years? PAULA CREAMER: Well, there's no rough. In the past years we've had a lot of rough, so that's not penalizing. The biggest thing is how firm the greens are and how quick the greens are. The fairways are not super quick. But the biggest difference besides the trees is the rough. Q. Also, the practice facility here has been honored. What makes it a good practice facility? What do you like about it? PAULA CREAMER: I like short game. I'm all about wedges and chipping. They have both of those there: chipping green and wedge green. They have a good driving range. But a big putting green is also necessary, and something that's like the golf course. A lot of country clubs don't have that. They don't have the ability to have big breaks like that that are out on the golf course. That's something that they have here. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Yes. Q. You have five LPGA wins and Morgan only has one, but hers is a major. Would you swap records with her? PAULA CREAMER: No. Q. Because? PAULA CREAMER: Because more wins is important to me right now. Majors can come, but you have to learn how to win. That's nothing to take away from Morgan. I think winning a major would be great. At the same time, five events in my fourth year, that's not bad. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: Well, that's a difficult question, because -- kind of. I mean, Annika has always been -- plots herself around and always is going to make a par. She hardly ever makes any bogeys or many mistakes. You mentally know that, meaning you know that you need to go out and make a birdie. Lorena, same thing, but she just hits it a lot further and she'll have wedge out of trouble, that kind of thing. It all comes down to making more putts. You have to compare who's the better putter. Q. (No microphone.) PAULA CREAMER: I don't know. Next question. MIKE SCANLAN: All right. Paula, thanks a lot. End of FastScripts |
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