Person of the Week: Paula Creamer

May 27, 2005 — -- For most high school seniors, graduation day is the highlight of their year. But for Paula Creamer, it wasn't even the highlight of her week. Last Sunday, the 18-year-old rookie became the youngest woman to win a Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament in more than half a century.

"I had so many emotions going I can't even explain it," Creamer said. "I couldn't even think. I didn't know what to do, I was shaking, I was nervous. I didn't know if I should have fist-pumped or what I should have done. I was just so excited, and I am so glad my parents were there to be able to celebrate it with me. It was remarkable."

After only nine tournaments on the LPGA tour, Creamer is already ranked fourth on the money list -- winning $350,000 so far this year in a sport where the pressure is enormous, even for seasoned veterans.

"I love pressure," she said. "I think pressure has motivated me even more. I thrive off of that -- just like that putt on the 18th hole. That was pressure out there, and I knew that I had to make it. And I know how to compete under that."

Creamer didn't take up golf until the relatively late age of 10; Tiger Woods was just out of diapers when he first swung a club. But she was into just about every other sport under the Northern California sun -- tennis, swimming, softball, soccer, gymnastics, dancing and skiing.

"When I was in sixth grade," she said, "I had to decide whether to be a cheerleader or on the golf team. They wouldn't let me do both, so I had to make that big decision. So I chose golf."

Creamer quickly excelled, wining 16 of 17 junior tournaments. It became obvious that she had something special. So Paula and her parents decided to pick up and move to Florida, so she could immerse herself in golf at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

Creamer's mother travels on tour with her, managing their busy schedule. Her father, an airline pilot, attends as many tournaments as he can. As a family, they made the difficult decision to forgo college for professional golf. Once a controversial move, skipping college has become the norm for many top athletes.