Wearing a pink ribbon in her hair, biting her lip, and standing with hands on hips, Paula Creamer strikes a decidedly feminine pose. But, somehow, it was possible to overlook the world’s fourth-ranked player Wednesday at Bulle Rock, as she prepared for the McDonald’s LPGA Championship.
In a season in which longtime No. 1 Annika Sorenstam is passing the torch to heir apparent Lorena Ochoa, Creamer is playing in relative anonymity, despite her signature pink, despite her engaging demeanor, and despite her two wins this year and six overall at the tender age of 21.
“I really think that I’ve always kind of been under the radar,” said Creamer. “Lorena has played great golf. Her confidence is through the roof. And Annika, it’s her last year and she’s going to give it her all. As each major goes by, it’s her last one.”
Even at 21, Creamer has had some major disappointments. She had the lead after three rounds of the 2007 Nabisco, but shot a closing 78 and fell to 15th. Since turning pro out of high school in 2005, Creamer has been a leader board fixture in majors, finishing in the top 20 nine of 13 times.
She made a final-round charge last year at Bulle Rock before fading to sixth place. This time, Creamer has a mantra.
“I know what the word patience means and I think that that’s the biggest part of going into a major,” said Creamer. “Patience is just kind of learning, watching other players, reasoning out why Annika has won so many majors. It’s because she’s so methodical.”
Already Creamer has acquired golf’s albatross — best player without a major. NBC commentator Dottie Pepper carried the unwanted distinction early in her career.
“Yeah, you hear it,” said Pepper. “I was very lucky that it only lasted four seasons. Then I won the first major of the ’92 season. So the timing is pretty similar for Paula. You’re learning what shots you need to hit at certain major championships.”
