SBS OPEN AT TURTLE BAY 2007
Turtle Bay Resort Golf Club, Palmer Course
Kahuku, Oahu, Hawaii
Feb. 17, 2007

Final-round interviews: Paula Creamer | Julieta Granada | Karrie Webb | Lorena Ochoa

Creamer wins season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay
Wins third career LPGA title in first event of 2007 season

KAHUKU, OAHU, HAWAII, Feb. 17, 2007 – After disappointment with her performance during the 2006 season, twenty-year-old Paula Creamer used her off-season to work on her putting. That hard work paid off this week at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay as she sunk a 40-foot putt on the 17th hole to secure her third career LPGA Tour victory on Saturday on the Palmer Course at the Turtle Bay Resort.

“It is a great feeling and it's a good way to start the year off for sure,” said Creamer of her one-shot victory. “I worked very hard on the tempo and rhythm of my putting and it has been a good off-season. I think it helped a lot. I visualize things more and it's working for me.

Creamer shot a final-round 70 in very windy conditions on Saturday and finished the tournament at 9-under-par 207 to get the one-shot victory over fellow 20-year-old Julieta Granada, who shot a final-round 69.

“It was blowing hard. There were holes out there that it was difficult,” said Creamer of the windy conditions players experienced on Saturday. “At the beginning of the day a lot of the players were struggling with it, but they came back with birdies after getting used to it.”

Granada, who finished two groups ahead of the last group, made a clutch 20-foot putt on 18 to tie Creamer at 8-under. Creamer answered shortly after, sinking a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to go to 9-under.

“I saw the line and it went in,” said Creamer. “It wasn't one of those kinds of putts that you expect to go in, but you just want to get it close and it had the right speed and fell in.”

Creamer went on to par 18 and walked away with a $165,000 winner's paycheck, the first of the official 2007 LPGA Tour season. The 2005 Rolex Rookie of the Year, who won twice and earned over $1.5 million during her rookie season, did not win in 2006. Creamer did however record 14 top-10 finishes in 2006 and earned $1,076,163 to rank 11th on the season-ending 2006 LPGA Official Money list.

The win marks the third of her career and the first win in 36 official LPGA Tour events.

“I want to win as much as I can this year,” said Creamer. “This win changes my confidence knowing I can do it, play a game and go out there and finish as good as I can each week.”

Creamer came into the final round tied for the lead at 7-under with veteran Sherri Steinhauer and 18-year-old Morgan Pressel. Steinhauer was the first to birdie, on the third hole to go to 8-under, but a double bogey on 7 and a bogey on 9 brought her back to 5-under.

Creamer responded on the fourth hole with a 15-foot birdie putt and went on to birdie four straight holes to go to 11-under and built a five shot lead after the eighth hole. She gave one back on 8 after a three-putt, but a five-foot birdie putt on 9 helped her make the turn at 11-under. Pressel gave one back on 4, but birdied 9 to make the turn at 7-under and cut the lead to four.

Creamer's lead tightened even more on the back nine, when she drove the ball into the water on the 11th tee and two-putted for double bogey to go to 9-under. Steinhauer bogeyed 10 to fall to 4-under and out of contention, while Pressel made back-to-back bogeys on 11 and 12 to fall to 5-under. Creamer three-putted from 25-feet on the 13th hole to bogey and fall to 8-under.

“I was out there with nine holes to go thinking ‘I haven't been in this situation for a while. I'm kind of rusty.' I think that is why things were going all over the place,” said Creamer.

Granada slowly crept up the leaderboard throughout the day. It started with an eagle on 7, as she holed a 9-iron from 150 yards to go to 7-under. She went on to bogey 8 and 10, but birdied 12, 15 and 18 down the stretch to put pressure on Creamer. She was also inches away from making birdie putt on 17 as well.

“It was a tough round,” said Granada, of the windy conditions on the North Shore. “Overall, I will take a 3-under any day. It was just a shame I was one back. I gave myself a good run at it and I'm just happy for that.”

Karrie Webb finished third at 6-under-par 210 while 2006 Rolex Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa tied for fourth at 5-under-par 211 with Janice Moodie and Pressel. Steinhauer went on to tie for eighth at 3-under.

Final-round interviews: Paula Creamer | Julieta Granada | Karrie Webb | Lorena Ochoa

Paula Creamer, 67-70-70=207 (-9)
Scorecard: Hole 4, 204-yard par 3: birdie – 6-iron to 15 feet
Hole 5, 389-yard par 4: birdie – drive right, 4-rescue to six feet
Hole 6, 405-yard par 4: birdie – pitching wedge to 15 feet
Hole 7, 394-yard par 4: birdie – 9-iron to three feet
Hole 8, 155-yard par 3: bogey – 8-iron, three-putt
Hole 9, 511-yard par 5: birdie – driver, 3-wood, pitching wedge to five feet
Hole 11, 396-yard par 4: double bogey – drive right into water, two-putt
Hole 13, 175-yard par 3: bogey – 5-iron to 25 feet, three-putt
Hole 17, 398-yard par 4: birdie – 3-wood, 7-iron to 40 feet

PAM WARNER: Paula, thank you for coming in again today and congratulations on winning your third career LPGA title here at the SBS Open and the first win to start the 2007 season. You must be excited?
PAULA CREAMER: I am. It is a great feeling. It really is. Walking down the 18th hole with a one-shot lead, I still had to get it in the clubhouse as soon as I could. It is a good feeling and it's a good way to start the year off for sure.

PAM WARNER: Just talk about that long putt you made on 17 to go to 9-under.
PAULA CREAMER: All I told myself was ‘just get in the hole.' I was kind of leaving my putts short the last seven or eight holes. The only thing that was going through my head was to get it in there. I saw the line and it went in. It wasn't one of those kinds of putts that you expect to go in, but you just want to get it close and it had the right speed and fell in.

Q. On 17, did you know where you stood on the leaderboard?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes, before I putted I saw that Julieta (Granada) made birdie to go to 8-under. So I did.

Q. What were you feeling at that time?
PAULA CREAMER: I was hoping to birdie 18 and just two-putt this hole (17) and get out of here. It is a difficult hole and a difficult pin placement. I hit a good shot in there. The wind just kind of didn't take it so I had kind of a long putt. I was just trying to lag it around the hole and move on and try to make birdie with the wedge.

Q. So you were already thinking about 18 at that point?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes.

Q. What was your mindset after letting that big lead slip away?
PAULA CREAMER: I was very calm the whole day. I just tried to keep going and just do what I could do. It was one of those things were I bogey 8 and birdie 9 and then kind of miss an easy putt on 10. Then the double on 11 really hurt me and then I missed a short putt on 12. Then my putting started to come in and out.

I think the biggest thing for me was my par save on 15. I had 30 feet and hit it to 10 so it wasn't very good. That was my big momentum type of thing that happened out there. I don't know what happened, it was a little stretch. I said earlier, I told my caddie Colin (Cann), ‘lets just get into the clubhouse as soon as we can.'

Q. What about the wind conditions?
PAULA CREAMER: Oh, it was blowing hard. There were holes out there that it was difficult. It was very windy. Especially when you are putting and when you are looking at shots and hitting 5-iron from 150 yards and I hit my 5-iron almost 170. It was blowing really hard.

At the beginning of the day a lot of the players were struggling with it, but they came back with birdies, getting used to it. The more and more you are out there the easier it comes.

Q. On 15, after your putt, you were kind of talking to the head of your putter?
PAULA CREAMER: Oh, on the par 3? I was saying ‘don't do that. Don't do that anymore.' It just keeps me going. It was one of those things where it was ‘no more of that,' and I just looked at it and talked to it in my mind. He's my friend, my putter, so you just have to put him in his place sometimes.

Q. You bit him when you won?
PAULA CREAMER: (laughter) I did. He's very important so I have to give him a little love and affection.

Q. Do you have a name for him?
PAULA CREAMER: No, just putter.

Q. Can you talk about work you did during the off-season on your putting?
PAULA CREAMER: I worked very hard on the tempo and rhythm of my putting with Mike Shannon. It has been a good off-season with my putting. My coach, David Whelan and I, every practice I've had he's been out there with me just really working on the rhythm of my putting. I thin it helped a lot. I visualize things more and it's working for me.

Q. Was that the first time you worked with Mike Shannon?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes, it was just a lesson.

Q. Does it seem like it has been a long time between wins?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes. That is one of those things. I was out there with nine holes to go thinking ‘I haven't been in this situation for a while. I'm kind of rusty.' I think that is why things were going all over the place. I haven't been there for a while, but I remember every moment of all my wins. I know you just have to finish the round and that is what I did.

Q. Did you ever doubt yourself at all about being able to finish?
PAULA CREAMER: Oh, I wasn't doubting myself. I knew that I could do it. It has been a while, a year. It's not that long, but for me I expect so much out of myself so it's a good start to the season.

Q. Was this the biggest of your three wins?
PAULA CREAMER: Yes and no. It is, but I view Solheim Cup as a pretty big win there, too. It's not just me, but it's a team and being part of that is really great. I would say emotionally, yes. It was a difficult year last year and coming into this season knowing how hard I worked I just feel that it is emotional-wise a big win.

Q. Were you aware that one of the golf magazines voted you as Most Disappointing Player of the Year?
PAULA CREAMER: Oh, that is nice (laughter). Thanks guys. Well, here we are now.

Q. Was there ever a point in that time last year where you thought you would never win again?
PAULA CREAMER: I hope not, no. I play every tournament trying to win and either someone plays better or I don't meet my expectations. But I don't play a tournament that I don't feel I can win.

Q. How does this win set up the rest of the season?
PAULA CREAMER: Oh, I mean I want to win as much as I can this year. Every week is different. This week has happened. I can enjoy it now, but I have a tournament next week, too. It can only last so long, but it is a great feeling that I haven't felt in a while. It changes a little bit just in my confidence knowing I can do it, play a game and go out there and finish as good as I can each week.

Q. Were you conscious of Granada sneaking up on you out there?
PAULA CREAMER: I didn't see a scoreboard on 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 – I think the first scoreboard I saw was the par 3, 15, from the turn. So I didn't really know anything that was going on, which I think was good, because I did have my double out there. I think that was kind of a positive for me to play without looking at scoreboards.

Q. How did you feel after you made the double bogey on 11? Did it make you upset?
PAULA CREAMER: Like I said, my emotions are very calm. I think the last couple of years, maybe after that, I wouldn't have reacted the same way I did today. I think I'm getting a little bit more mature. I just kind of said to myself ‘ok, you just hit it in the water and you are going to try to make bogey.' After that, I knew I had a par 5 and a couple of shorter holes to come back and finish strong. So there was nothing I could do about it.

Julieta Granada, 68-71-69=208 (-8)
Scorecard: Hole 7, 394-yard par 4: eagle – holed out with 9-iron from 150 yards
Hole 8, 155-yard par 3: bogey – 8-iron to 40 feet, three-putt
Hole 10, 391-yard par 4: bogey – 5-iron to 40 feet, three-putt
Hole 12, 493-yard par 5: birdie - 52-degree wedge to 12 feet
Hole 15, 177-yard par 3: birdie – 4-iron to 30 feet
Hole 18, 539-yard par 5: birdie – 52-degree wedge to 20 feet

PAM WARNER: Julieta, thank you for coming in and joining us. You finished second today and played great in some very difficult and windy conditions. Can you tell us about your round?
JULIETA GRANADA: It was a tough round. The front nine was very difficult and hard to judge. Then the back nine kind of got easier on us, because it was a little bit more protected. Overall, I will take a 3-under any day. It was just a shame I was one back. I just needed one more.

Q. What about the putt at 17?
JULIETA GRANADA: Ugh. That putt. I thought it was going to break a little bit left to right. I hit it on the left edge, but it didn't move at all. I was trying to be aggressive with that putt without leaving it short. I had the wind against. I hit it a little bit too hard and it didn't break at all, it didn't move.

Q. That would have been big obviously if it had gone in?
JULIETA GRANADA: Yeah, I thought I had that one too. I hit a great shot in there too. I hit a 7-iron from 162. I felt it and it was a shame, because I really put a good stroke on it. It just didn't move.

Q. Did you know where you stood at any point?
JULIETA GRANADA: Well, yeah, actually when I made the eagle on 7 I kind of turned around and saw Paula was already at 11 and I'm like ‘uh, we are playing for second here.' Then I think she made a couple of mistakes coming in and I managed to put some pressure on. I gave myself a good run at it and I'm just happy for that.

Q. When did you realize she had fallen back? Did you know she had made the double on 11?
JULIETA GRANADA: I actually didn't. I think we had a scoreboard on 15. I missed like a 10-footer on 14 and we were walking up and I saw she was at nine and I was at six and I thought that was going to be big. Then I made the putt and saw I was still in it. Then I made my par putt on 16 I saw she bogeyed again, so I went ‘ok, this is getting interesting.' And I just tried to take advantage of that.

Quick quotes

Karrie Webb, 70-70-70=210 (-6)
“I stroked three 70s, but today by far was the best 70 with the conditions that we played in. At the start of the day if I said I would have shot 2-under in these conditions I thought I would have had more of a chance at winning than it seems. I am pretty happy with things. It looks like I'll finish third and I'm happy with that.”

“The back nine is a little bit easier to play, because it is a little bit more protected. The front nine the wind was really strong and for me to get through the front nine at 1-under, I was pretty pleased with that.

Lorena Ochoa, 71-69-71=211 (-5)
“I feel good. I am doing good and I'm happy with the way I finished. I think today was a little bit slow to start. I made a couple of bogeys and I didn't really like that, but I think I finished OK. So it was good to be in the top-10 in the first tournament of the year and I'm happy with my result.”

“It was a tough day with the wind. I think it was gusting in different directions all of the time. It was kind of hard to judge the distance and to get the right club. I learned a lot. It is always a learning experience and hopefully it will help me to be a better player and hopefully I can do better next week.