Golf: U.S Open - The 9 time LPGA winner Paula Creamer to win her first U.S open title.
Paula Creamer who cried on her dads shoulder thinking when she would be able to play next after her thumb injury, but what she didn’t know was how well she would be able to play after it.
Creamer won the U.S Open title by her sheer confidence and consistencies, leaving the rest of the professional players look like rookies, her amazing four-shot led to her victory.
Creamer said she was relieved about the fact that she was constantly questioned on why she has not won a major yet. She exclaimed now I am never going to be asked that again, it’s a big relief off my shoulders.
Her hyper extended left thumb is only 60% healed claimed by her, she said the best way she found to limit her pain was to take as few strokes as possible. Creamer said she was in extreme pain but she controlled it mentally by not thinking about it and that it really showed up her mental side of golf can take over.
She is also known as the Pink Panther due to her all-pink attire, the young player played poorly in the last two Women’s Opens as her thumb was quite weak then, even though she faded away in the late rounds but she strived hard to play until she got knocked off. She also had to miss the Jamie Farr Classic due to the injury which was won by Na Yeon Choi.
The 23 year old had to win the U.S open as she penalized her thumb by playing 52 holes in the final days, luckily due to the rain on Friday which slowed down the trickiest greens in the course helped her score easily.
Choi and Song-Hee were charging in the tournament but what boosted Paula’s confidence was the long shots she took, par-saving putts on #7 and #8. Landing Song-Hee in the 13th place and Choi as no.2, Creamer at the end of the match had two bogeys and four birdies.
Paula concentration level was so high; she did not even check the leader board until her 18th hole. One of her notable moments was when she put for a birdie through the thick rough on the 14th hole, followed by the brilliant shot she took on the 15th hole, making it too.
That made Creamer sense that the title was definitely hers, the fear that she was playing alongside Cristie Keer, who recently won the LPGA championship by just 12 shots was long gone and she was determined that she would win.
Creamer said, “Without a doubt, I've matured over the last couple of months, ...I was so bored during the layoff that I attended the Masters as a spectator. It was hard. I've prepared for this for the last three months and it makes everything so much better. ... It (the adversity) made me more of an adult."
This was Creamer’s fourth tournament after her surgery on the thumb, due to it, she had to change her way of playing, making her right side stronger than her left. She was made to play 29 holes on Saturday, fearing her thumb would explode. Although the injury did stop her from winning the 8th LPGA tour of her career and made everyone thought she wouldn’t play this tournament yet she did, what motivated her was after studying the DVD’s of Oakmont Country Club watching Angel Cabrera playing the 2007 U.S Open; from which she says she learnt a valuable lesson, learning pin placements.
The thumb might not have exploded but her game certainly did this year, the injured player proved nothing could come in her way. Paula Creamer took the spotlight from everyone, winning the U.S Open title for the first time.
Tags: