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U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 12, 2009

Paula Creamer

BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA

Q. Sum up the day and sum up the week?
PAULA CREAMER: It's a great golf course, I think by far one of the best golf courses I've ever played.
It's really tough. The USGA set it up perfectly, really difficult, but not unfair.
I think it was just a great venue. I would love to come back here and play again, No. 10 again, several times more.
But I feel like today was -- I played golf. Yesterday, it just was not my day. And today I decided, you know, just come out, have fun, enjoy yourself and go play 18 holes and give yourself a good spot to look at and say, you know, you tried hard, you played hard and to fight back.

Q. Did you stew on that one hole for a while?
PAULA CREAMER: No. 10? Yeah, but 10, I mean 10, obviously was a huge part of the day yesterday. There's a lot of things I looked back on yesterday, the three-putt on 6. Momentum just kind of died there.
You know, unfortunately, that triple should never have happened, but it did. The first day I had a double. You know, that should never have happened, but it did. And you know, thinking about it, I played a lot better today. I feel like I was a little bit rusty, I guess you could say, yesterday. It just wasn't a good day, and today I really wanted to come out, just enjoy the fans and play good golf.

Q. How did you play No. 10 today, Paula?
PAULA CREAMER: I bogeyed it. Yeah, I hit it in the fairway bunker again.

Q. What did you hit? Driver?
PAULA CREAMER: No. I hit a 7-wood. I haven't hit that fairway once this week. First two days I hit both fairway bunkers, but made birdie both days. Yesterday I hit it in the other bunker, obviously made triple, and today I hit it in the right fairway bunker and made bogey.

Q. Does the hole not set up for you?
PAULA CREAMER: No. It doesn't. I don't know why. I mean I hit a draw, but still, you know, I should be able to -- you know, you only have wedge or 9-iron into that green.
Today was -- you know, I just tried to play safe and smart, and I just didn't hit the best of tee shots on that hole.

Q. You had a choice there. Lay way back for safety or blow it fast for trouble?
PAULA CREAMER: Today?

Q. No. Any day.
PAULA CREAMER: Well, when they moved the box up. The first two days the box was back. So you have to hit driver or 3-wood.
And then today they give you the option of what are you going to do, but today was dead into the wind, so it was the complete opposite of yesterday.

Q. They moved the whole course up today.
PAULA CREAMER: Yeah. 17 was up, I mean I hit a 5-iron yesterday, 6-iron. Today I hit pitching wedge. It's unbelievable.
It's all smart moves. Makes you think -- the par-5 --

Q. It's back. Right?
PAULA CREAMER: No. 9's back. It's a good hole. That's what I said. I think the way they set it up was fair in places. And you know, the holes that we needed to be moved up on because of the wind, they did. Because it's softer, the rain that we had last night, I think the changes they made were very smart.
Definitely had our caddies working a little bit more today.

Q. Do you like that strategy, that philosophy? Would it be more interesting if that happened in more tournaments?
PAULA CREAMER: Well, yes AND no. It gives you kind of a heart attack every once in a while not knowing exactly what your plan was, but that makes it interesting.
You know that's what USGA are going to do, and like I said, I think they've done it in right spots to do it on.
They moved up 12, that par-5. They moved up 8. They moved up tee box on 8. Make you attempted to hit driver further down over the bunker. There's a lot of good choices that they made.

Q. What did you hit on 9?
PAULA CREAMER: 3-wood.

Q. Did you make it?
PAULA CREAMER: Yeah. Did I make it. Come on.

Q. Did your thumb turn out not to be a factor at all, Paula?
PAULA CREAMER: No. It was fine. Like I said, I wasn't the most prepared I've ever been coming into an Open, obviously, because I haven't hit balls for two weeks. That was unfortunate.
Even during this week I didn't hit balls after rounds or things like that. I just tried to save it as long as I could. I did hit balls after Thursday, and I did hit balls after Friday, and that's the only other times.

Q. Where do you think the Tour is going to be next month, next year, two or three years down the road?
PAULA CREAMER: I can't really say. Hopefully we're headed in the right direction. I'm not -- I don't really know. You know, the product of the Tour, I think, right now is the best it's ever been, I mean from what I've seen.
You know, I think there's a lot that we can offer and we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Q. Do you have any thoughts or any suggestions if you could make a decision on one or two things that you think would make it better?
PAULA CREAMER: There's numerous things, but at the end of the day I'm just a golfer. I'm out here playing golf. I'm not the commissioner. I'm not in charge. I guess I have a voice, but you know, at the same time I don't know what goes on behind the scenes.

Q. How long do you think players are willing to -- a few years ago on the Champions Tour, for instance, they were in a bit of a slump. The players kind of stepped up and went to more parties and things like that. Do you think the players here will be willing to go the extra mile?
PAULA CREAMER: I think we all do already. We've always done that, especially with Pro-Ams. We take great pride in how we interact with our sponsors, or I especially do, because if it wasn't for them and the volunteers, we wouldn't be having these events.
And I think the LPGA has always done that. I'm sure more and more players are actually realizing that and doing more about it. But I really feel we are very good as a Tour.

Q. Other players talk about relationships, building them and reinforcing them. Could you talk about how you think the importance of building relationships is for the Tour?
PAULA CREAMER: The way I look at it is I have my sponsors also and I know what you have to do for everything. They're there to help you. Those relationships are very important. I've had some of the same sponsors since I was 18 years old, since I came out on Tour. It's all relationships and trust and knowing that you're going to be there for yourself. I think it's important that everybody does realize that because that's why we're out here is because of the sponsors. Thanks, guys.

End of FastScripts

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