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LPGA CORNING CLASSIC

May 21, 2009

Paula Creamer

CORNING, NEW YORK

MIKE SCANLAN: Let's start with your card.
PAULA CREAMER: All right. I started on 10.
MIKE SCANLAN: So you birdied 16.
PAULA CREAMER: Okay. Birdied 16, 4-iron. Then about 120, 9-iron, about 10 feet.
Birdied on one, driver, 160, 5-iron to about 25. Birdie on 2, driver, 4-iron. I pulled it left and then chipped it to about two feet.
Birdie on 5, driver, 5-iron, like 170. And then I two-putted from the front, like a 35-footer, 40-footer.
And then birdie on 6. I hit 5-iron, and then I hit 105 yards, little pitching wedge to about 12 feet. And then birdie on 8, driver, 9-iron, 115 yards to about nine feet.
MIKE SCANLAN: All right, Paula, thanks for coming in. It looks like from your score card you kind of started off pretty steady and then you turned it up on the Back 9. If you would, just talk about your day, and obviously the course is in pretty good condition.
PAULA CREAMER: Right. I did. I gave myself plenty of opportunities out there on the Back 9, my front nine for birdies, but nothing fell and I just kind of stayed patient, and I hit every green. You know, I just kept kind of grinding out there. I knew the front nine that you have those par-5s, you can start feel like you're making birdies and get on kind of a little roll, but the birdie on 16 was good.
But overall, I can't complain too much with how I played. I wish I could have started off a little bit sooner on the Back 9.
MIKE SCANLAN: Questions?

Q. Tell us about that birdie putt on the last hole. I know you would have liked to make that one.
PAULA CREAMER: Yeah. That was a really good chance. I'd say 15 feet. I thought I'd made it. I hit it right where I wanted, just outside left, and didn't break much, but it was a good putt, and that's kind of what I did the hole Back 9, my front nine. I constantly was burning the edge, and you know, they're going to fall sooner or later.

Q. The weather this week, although possible showers tomorrow, looks like it's going to be like this. The course I'm hearing is in pretty good shape. Is that an advantage for a player like you?
PAULA CREAMER: You know, you want wind. You want it hard and difficult. I feel like this golf course greens are going to get firmer and firmer and they're going to get fast and that makes it harder, which is good because you can come out here and if you drive the ball well, then you can have some short irons in and kind of a wedge contest. But with the wind that's picking up right now, it plays a lot more difficult.

Q. Six under for the first round, that's usually at this tournament good enough for the lead. This week, however, or at least today, you're kind of almost lost in the shuffle. Is that kind of testimony of how good the field is and how well the course is playing?
PAULA CREAMER: Well, you know, I give a lot of credit to the superintendent here. The golf course is in great shape. You can roll the ball where you want it to go, and that's a good sign of good greens, and they go in.
But the field is strong. You know, a low number is going to win this tournament. The weather is perfect, like everybody is saying, and you can just kind of fly it at the green. I hope they get a little firmer. Makes it you have to think a little more out there instead of landing it five short?

Q. Last year you had a decent tournament but probably weren't completely satisfied with it. Are you happy at how you got off this year?
PAULA CREAMER: Yeah. Take six under any day. Even though I'm two back still, there's a lot of golf left and I feel confident coming off the last couple of weeks, my game has started to come back and you never know, and the people out here are fast starters but come down to Sunday, we'll see what happens.

Q. Getting off to the start and seeing the low scores, were you getting at all concerned that, you know, not getting bogeys are fine, but with the low scores that pars are almost feeling like bogeys on a day like this?
PAULA CREAMER: I think maybe a couple years ago or even last year or so, I would have tried to press and maybe got a little bit impatient, but I'm learning. It's something that I've been working on is try to be patient, not only in this situation, but it helps in other tournaments and majors and trying to have that attitude as, okay, you gave yourself a chance. Next hole. It's hard going out when you see people six, 7-under, but you know that if they can do it, you can do it as well.

Q. Paula, you have played well here. I think a second place?
PAULA CREAMER: My first time.

Q. Your first time here. Yeah, and you got the local connections to the area, and you said in the past that you'd love to win at Corning. So being the last Corning, does that motivate you just a little bit more?
PAULA CREAMER: Oh, without a doubt. Of course, if you're not motivated to win this week, then I don't know what gets you motivated out there. This is a great tournament. There's a lot of great volunteers. Every tee box, I'm out there, they've been doing this for 31 years. It's amazing, and I hope that I can play well not only for myself, but for them as well. They deserve that.

Q. At this point you look at the leaderboard, and most of the players are players who have come out within probably the last two or three years like yourself. Just talk about how the younger players are really starting to turn it on and playing well on this Tour.
PAULA CREAMER: I think that I can speak from myself. I've been given so many opportunities. You know, I think the biggest thing for me was when I turned 17, I came out and that summer when I was 17, I played in about six professional events, and I got the taste of it.
I think there's just so many opportunities to come out here and play with the best players in the world, and your equipment has changed. Just in technology and videoing your swing. The parent influence is much stronger now than I think it's ever been in the past years, having talked to some of the veterans before and it was pretty rare that you saw anybody's mom and dad out here, and if you don't see their mom and dad, you go, well, where are they this week. I just think golf has become so popular for girls?
MIKE SCANLAN: All right, Paula. Thanks a lot.
PAULA CREAMER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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