U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 28, 2008

Paula Creamer

FULLAUDIOINTERVIEW

RHONDA GLENN: Ladies and gentlemen, Paula Creamer, who shot a 4- under par, 69 today. Great round, Paula. You started out very strongly. Birdies on 2, 3, 7, 10. Let's go over the card first, and then I won't forget it, okay?

PAULA CREAMER: Okay. Birdie on 2. Driver, 3-wood to about I'd say 30 yards short of the green. Then I made about a 25-footer. It wasn't a very good pitch, but I made the putt, so that was good.

Birdie on 3. The tee was up so I reached it in 2 and hit it to about ten feet, two-putted from there.

Birdie on 7. I laid up. I didn't go for the green. I had about a 50 yard pitch to about five feet.

Birdie on 10, driver -- I laid up. I could have got there, but the angle and the wind was kind of going against me, so I just laid up to about 75 yards and hit it to about 12 feet.

And then I bogeyed 11. I hit it right in the middle of the fairway, but I was in a divot and couldn't decide what kind of shot we wanted to do and kind of just chose the wrong one. I should have been able to get up-and-down and missed a 10-footer, didn't hit a very good chip.

Birdie on 13. I had driver, 3-wood about 75 yards -- no, about 85 yards. And then I made about a 10-footer short uphill.

RHONDA GLENN: The par save was which hole?

PAULA CREAMER: 15. I hit probably too much club off the tee. I'm trying to stay short of those bunkers, I had a flat lie. I hit it too far on the uphill slope. And I hit kind of a bad swing at a bad time and I hit it in the right bunker. And then I made about a 18-footer to save par.

RHONDA GLENN: Was there a point in your round where you thought, okay, this is a crucial hole, I saved it on this hole. Was it that one, perhaps, 15.

PAULA CREAMER: 15 was pretty good. 10, I had a lot of momentum after I made that birdie putt on 10. All day long I just tried to stay consistent, tried to make putts out there. But at the same time I wasn't overly aggressive. I wasn't very conservative, either, just tried to stick to my game plan. Putts are going to fall and you have to make the big saves at the big moments to be in contention. And 15 was one of those.

RHONDA GLENN: You birdied four out of the five par-5s. So that was key.

Q. We're going to have to test your memory on this one. Stacy said she played with you in an AJGA event that you won at the Robert Trent Jones Trail course?

PAULA CREAMER: That same course as the Mobile tournament.

Q. Do you have any recollection of that? That's got to be five or six years ago. She doubts that you would remember?

PAULA CREAMER: That was a long time ago. (Laughter). I mean I do remember Stacy going up and junior golf. I don't perhaps remember that round of golf. But I do remember the golf course. I liked that golf course.

But it will be fun. Stacy is a great player. She had a great collegiate years. Obviously is playing great, at the top of the leaderboard.

Q. The next step on your rÈsumÈ would be a Major. Just your thoughts on the situation, position you've put yourself in and how you look at tomorrow?

PAULA CREAMER: Well, I couldn't ask for any better position. If somebody said you want to be at 8-under par going into Sunday, I would take in a heartbeat. I'm there. I've done the work so far.

And tomorrow I just have to go out and finish the deal. I'm really -- I'm excited when I come out into the first tee. I'm really enjoying my week here. The golf course sets up really well to my game. And possibly it's my time.

Q. Two questions, one being in the final group, with your experience, to you look at that as an advantage for you or how do you approach it?

PAULA CREAMER: Without a doubt. Playing in any final group of any event is an advantage. And being able to do it professionally, I think I kind of have an advantage. Being able to win, as a professional, is something else. There's going to be a lot of nerves going out there tomorrow. But at the same time you have to just stay within yourself. I'm going to be excited. I'm going to have a lot of jitters, and so is everybody else. But that's what makes the U.S. Open what it is.

Q. So much attention on the first couple of days to the International flavor of the leaderboard at our National Championship. You're wearing a flag on your collar. Two young Americans playing in that final group tomorrow. How much significance do you as a player attach to the importance of Americans performing well in this championship and you in particular?

PAULA CREAMER: It's huge. I love representing my country. I love playing for my country. Just being able to go out there and be representing America at the same time in the United States Women's Open, it means a lot. I put a lot of hard work into what I do and to have -- to be able and to go out and play golf for a living in a great country is something I really appreciate and look forward too.

Q. Is this the major you would most want to win?

PAULA CREAMER: Of course. It is right now, obviously, because this is the one I'm at. But definitely. It's always -- when growing up you want to win The Open. It's something that always means so much to you. But I've had so manyy great memories at this golf course. The highlight of my golf career before I was professional was during the Solheim Cup. I played on the Junior Solheim Cup team and I came out here and watched and it was the coolest thing I've ever seen how many people came out to represent and watch their country. I got to carry Juli Inkster's bag up the 18th fairway, and she's always been my role model. And it was the coolest day I've ever had. To have a chance to win the U.S. Open tomorrow on a place that's touched my life, it means a lot.

RHONDA GLENN: I wanted to ask one thing. You have great USGA experience. As a competitor in the Girls' Junior, the Women's Amateur, the Curtis Cup, you've done very well on USGA courses, and many players who come hear say they sort of are intimidated by the USGA set up and the pomp and circumstance of it. Is that a factor the fact that you feel more confident in a USGA event.

PAULA CREAMER: Well, I mean like you said I've had a lot of experience with the Junior Girls and the Amateurs and things like that. It's just the way everybody sets up the golf course is different every day. It's exciting. It's -- No. 3 today I never would have thought they'd move the box up 60 yards, things like that, they just get thrown out there.&nnbsp; I like it. It's a great test of golf. That's what you want. You want to be challenged in a championship. You want the best players in the world to fight for a trophy.

RHONDA GLENN: So you feel generally comfortable around USGA events?

PAULA CREAMER: Yes, the harder the golf course, the harder the setup the better I feel.

Q. Did the greens seem at all slower today because of the rain, did it make them a little easier?

PAULA CREAMER: They were a little softer, a little bit more receptive coming in. But they're still quick. You have to be very aware of uphill, downhill. The uphill putts I thought were a little bit slower than they were the other day, but they were still releasing 10, 15 yards.

RHONDA GLENN: Go home, get some rest, have dinner and good luck tomorrow.