Paula Creamer

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Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open
Personal Information
Birth (1986-08-05) August 5, 1986 (age 37)
Mountain View, California
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Nationality  United States
Residence Windermere, Florida, U.S.
College None
Career
Turned Pro 2005
Current tour LPGA Tour (joined 2005)
Professional wins 10 (LPGA Tour: 8, other individual: 2)
Major Championship results
Wins: 0
Kraft Nabisco T15: 2007
LPGA Championship T3: 2005
U.S. Women's Open T6: 2008
Women's British Open T7: 2007
Awards
American Junior Golf
Association (AJGA)
Player of the Year 		2003
Golf Digest
Junior of the Year 		2003
Golf Digest
Amateur of the Year 		2004
LPGA Rookie of the Year 2005

Paula Creamer (born August 5, 1986), nicknamed the "Pink Panther", is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. In her four seasons as a professional, she has won nine tournaments, including seven LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as No. 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings, and as of October 6th 2008 is the No. 3 female golfer in the world.

Born and raised in California, Creamer won numerous junior golf titles; among them were 11 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments. Creamer joined the LPGA Tour for the 2005 season, and her victory in that year's Sybase Classic made her the LPGA's second-youngest event winner. After her first professional win, she earned three more titles in 2005, including two in Japan, and was named LPGA Rookie of the Year. Following a winless 2006 season, Creamer won twice in 2007 and has four wins in 2008.

Amateur career

Creamer started playing golf when she was 10 years old.[1] At the age of 12, she won 13 consecutive regional junior events in Northern California,[1] and the following year she became the top-ranked female junior golfer in the state.[2]

During Creamer's amateur career, she won 19 national tournaments, including 11 American Junior Golf Association events,[1][3] and was named Player of the Year by the AJGA in 2003. On two occasions (2002 and 2003), Creamer played on the United States team in the Junior Solheim Cup. She was a semi-finalist in the 2003 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship and U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, and reached the same stage of both events the following year.[4] In June 2004, Creamer placed second in the LPGA Tour's ShopRite LPGA Classic, finishing one stroke behind Cristie Kerr. Later that year, she tied for 13th in the U.S. Women's Open and represented the United States in the Curtis Cup.[5]

In December 2004, Creamer won the LPGA Tour Final Qualifying Tournament by five strokes, thus gaining membership on the Tour for the 2005 season.[6] She turned professional immediately after the event at the age of 18.[7]

Professional career

2005–2007

Upon joining the LPGA Tour in 2005, Creamer quickly became a top player. On May 22, she holed a 17-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the Sybase Classic in New Rochelle, New York to win by one stroke.[8] Creamer became the youngest winner of a multiple-round tournament in LPGA history.[9] (Marlene Hagge won twice at a younger age than Creamer. Both wins came in 18-hole events.)[8] On July 23, she claimed her second title of the year, winning the Evian Masters tournament in France by an eight-shot margin.[10] She became the youngest and quickest player to reach $1 million in LPGA career earnings.[11] In August Creamer won the NEC Open on the Japan LPGA tour,[12] and added a victory at the Masters GC Ladies tournament two months later.[13] Creamer earned a spot on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team, becoming the youngest player to do so.[14] She helped the U.S. team win the cup, going 3–1–1 for the competition.[7] Creamer won the LPGA Rookie of the Year award for her season,[9] in which she earned over $1.5 million, second on the money list behind Annika Sörenstam, and recorded eight top-three finishes.[15]

After her strong first-year performance, Creamer was second behind Sörenstam in the inaugural Women's World Golf Rankings, which were released on February 20, 2006.[16] Her 2006 season, however, was not as successful. She did not win a tournament, and was hampered by wrist and foot injuries during the year.[17] Creamer still managed to earn over $1 million and make the cut in all 27 LPGA tournaments in which she played, compiling 14 top-10 finishes. Her best result of the season was a tie for second at The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions.[18]

In 2007, Creamer rebounded with two LPGA Tour titles. On February 17, she won her third career LPGA title at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, making a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole of the final round to defeat Julieta Granada by one shot.[19] In November, Creamer won The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions, defeating Birdie Kim by eight strokes.[20] She also played in her second Solheim Cup, leading both sides in points earned. Creamer went unbeaten in five matches as the U.S. team retained the cup.[21] For the season, she posted 13 top-10 finishes and earned over $1.3 million, third on the money list.[22]

2008

In February 2008, she earned her fifth LPGA title at the Fields Open in Hawaii, coming back from a late two-shot deficit with birdies on the final three holes.[23] On April 27, Creamer came up short in a bid for her second win of the year, losing in a sudden-death playoff to Sörenstam at the Stanford International Pro-Am.[24] The following week, Creamer bounced back at the SemGroup Championship by defeating Juli Inkster in a playoff.[25] At the U.S. Women's Open, she entered the final round one shot off the lead and in good position to claim her first major championship victory. However, a five-over-par 78 on the last day dropped her into a tie for sixth.[26] On July 10 at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, she shot an 11-under 60, just one stroke off of the LPGA Tour record of 59 by Annika Sörenstam.[27] She shot 60–65–70–73 to beat Nicole Castrale by two strokes.[28]

As of October 6th 2008, Creamer is 21st on the LPGA's all-time money list with $5.7 million in career earnings.[29] She is No. 3 in the Women's World Golf Rankings, behind Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sörenstam.[30]

Creamer has endorsement deals with TaylorMade, Adidas, RBS, NEC, Ricoh, Kraft Foods, Sundog Eyewear, CDW, Aldila, Citizen Watch, Bridgestone, and EA Sports.[7][31][32] Her likeness has been featured in the golf video games Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 and 09, both published by EA Sports.[33][34]

Personal life

Paula Creamer was born in Mountain View, California,[4] the only child of Paul and Karen Creamer. She was raised in Pleasanton, where the family's home overlooked the first tee of the Castlewood Country Club's golf course.[2] In 2000, she moved to Bradenton, Florida to attend the IMG Golf Academy, where she graduated from the IMG-affiliated Pendleton High School the week after her first LPGA victory.[35] As of 2007, she lived in Isleworth, a gated community in Windermere, Florida.[17]

Association with color pink

Due to her fondness for wearing pink, Creamer's friend Casey Wittenberg nicknamed her the "Pink Panther".[36] The sobriquet followed her when she turned pro. In addition to her pink outfits, Creamer sports the color on several of her golf accessories, including her club grips and golf bag.[37] Creamer also uses a Pink Panther club head cover, in a nod to her nickname. She uses a pink golf ball during the last round of every tournament provided by Precept Golf, one of her sponsors.[38][39]

Professional wins (10)

LPGA Tour (8)

Other (2)

Results in LPGA majors

Tournament 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Kraft Nabisco Championship DNP T45 T19 T24 T15 T21
LPGA Championship DNP DNP T3 T49 T6 T10
U.S. Women's Open CUT T13 TLA T19 T16 T16 T6
Women's British Open DNP DNP T15 T22 T7 T9

LA = Low Amateur
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
Green background for a win. Yellow background for a top-10 finish.

LPGA Tour career summary

Year # of
events		 Cuts
made		 Wins 2nd 3rd Top
10s		 Earnings ($) Rank Scoring average
2003 3 2 0 0 0 0 N/A N/A 74.80
2004 7 7 0 1 0 1 N/A N/A 71.42
2005 25 24 2 4 2 11 1,531,780 2 70.98
2006 27 27 0 1 2 14 1,076,163 11 70.62
2007 24 22 2 2 2 13 1,384,798 3 70.50
2008* 22 22 4 1 1 13 1,742,733 3 70.36

*Current as of October 6, 2008.

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

Solheim Cup Record

Year Total Matches Total W-L-H Singles W-L-H Foursomes W-L-H Fourballs W-L-H Points Won Points %
Career 10 5-1-4 2-0-0 2-0-2 1-1-2 7 70%
2005 5 3-1-1 1-0-0 def. L. Davies 7&5 1-0-1 halved w/ B. Daniel, won w/ J. Inkster 3&2 1-1-0 lost w/ J. Inkster 4&3, won w/ C. Kerr 1up 3.5 70%
2007 5 2-0-3 1-0-0 def. M. Hjorth 2&1 1-0-1 won w/ J. Inkster 2&1, halved w/ J. Inkster 0-0-2 halved w/ M. Pressel, halved w/ B. Lincicome 3.5 70%

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b c Herrington, Ryan (2004-11-26). "She's One Pink Panther". Golf World. Retrieved 2008-07-02. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b White, Dana (March/April 2006). "Leader of the Pack". Golf for Women. Retrieved 2008-06-23. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "AJGA Girls Record Book". American Junior Golf Association. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  4. ^ a b "Player Biography: Paula Creamer". United States Golf Association. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  5. ^ Spousta, Tom (2004-12-14). "Creamer the latest teen dreamer of stardom". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  6. ^ "Creamer Medalist at LPGA Q-School". The Golf Channel. 2004-12-05. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  7. ^ a b c "Paula Creamer Full Career Bio" (PDF). LPGA. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  8. ^ a b "Creamer becomes 2nd-youngest LPGA winner". NBC Sports. 2005-05-23. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  9. ^ a b "Creamer clinches 2005 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award". LPGA. 2005. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  10. ^ "Creamer cruises to French title". BBC Sport. 2005-07-23. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  11. ^ "All Time Records" (PDF). LPGA. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  12. ^ "Creamer tops home favorite at NEC Karuizawa". ESPN. 2005-08-14. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  13. ^ "Creamer captures event on Japan tour". ESPN. 2005-10-23. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  14. ^ Cutler, Bethan (2005-08-28). "Lopez announces 2005 U.S. Solheim Cup Team". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
  15. ^ "2005 Player Performance Record". LPGA. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  16. ^ Spousta, Tom (2006-02-21). "Annika leads as Creamer, Wie give chase in world rankings". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  17. ^ a b Baldry, Beth Ann (2007-02-08). "Rust remover: Creamer makes Hooters Tour stint to prepare for LPGA season". Golfweek. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  18. ^ "2006 Player Performance Record". LPGA. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  19. ^ "Creamer wins SBS Open for third career tour victory". ESPN. 2007-02-18. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  20. ^ "Creamer cruises to victory at LPGA's Tournament of Champions". Golf Magazine. 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  21. ^ "2007 Solheim Cup: Overall Player Records". LPGA. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  22. ^ "2007 Player Performance Record". LPGA. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  23. ^ "Paula Creamer wins Fields Open with late rally". CBS Sports. 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  24. ^ "Sorenstam wins Stanford International in playoff". The Sports Network. 2008-04-27. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  25. ^ "Creamer Wins; Ochoa's Streak Ends Without Fight". The New York Times. 2008-05-05. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  26. ^ "Creamer crumbles, still winless at majors". Golf Magazine. 2008-06-29. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
  27. ^ "Creamer Nearly Shoots 59 in Ohio". The Golf Channel. 2008-07-10. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  28. ^ "Creamer hangs on to win Jamie Farr Classic by two strokes". USA Today. 2008-07-14. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  29. ^ "Career Money List". LPGA. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  30. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". Women's World Golf Rankings. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  31. ^ "Ricoh signs commercial endorsement contract with Paula Creamer, top international female professional golfer". Ricoh. 2008-09-26. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  32. ^ DiMeglio, Steve (2008-02-13). "Bubbly Creamer leads U.S. renaissance on LPGA tour". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  33. ^ Thomas, Aaron (2007-08-29). "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for PlayStation 3 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  34. ^ Snider, Mike (2008-09-02). "Healing Tiger keeps (virtual) golf game sharp". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
  35. ^ Yen, Yi-Wyn (2005-05-30). "Working Girl". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2008-04-02. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Ginella, Matthew (January 2006). "American Idol: Paula Creamer". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  37. ^ Braswell, Tommy (2007-05-28). "Creamer enjoying early success on LPGA". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  38. ^ Braswell, Tommy (2008-05-29). "How They Accessorize". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  39. ^ "Paula Creamer with pink golf ball". The Washington Post. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2007-08-20.

External links

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