The most inspiring story in golf last week came 3,500 miles away from Royal Liverpool. Jane Park teed it up for the first time in two years on the LPGA Tour at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, making her first tour appearance since her now two-year-old daughter, Grace, suffered brain seizures that led Park to become a full-time caretaker.

Park, 36, had her family with her at Midland, Michigan, Pete Godfrey, her husband, is an LPGA caddie who works for Hye Jin Choi but looped for Park last week. Grace also attended the tournament, watching some of the practice round action and spending time in the LPGA’s daycare. Park’s teammate for the two-player team event, Paula Creamer, also brought her daughter Hilton, who played with Grace as they became inseparable during the week.

Midland Country Club sold pink hats with “Grace” on them, raising money for the Epilepsy Foundation and the Golf For Her Foundation. Players wore purple ribbons on their hats to support Park as well.

In support of @TheJanePark, Peter Godfrey and their daughter Grace —special ‘GRACE’ hats will be available for purchase this week at the Dow GLBI ?

The proceeds will be donated to the Epilepsy Foundation and the @Golf4Her foundation.

READ MORE https://t.co/JhUpVJgtdT pic.twitter.com/yUxf8tKQum

— Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (@DowGLBI) July 18, 2023

“Overall, it was busy, but at the same time it really filled my heart to be able to do this,” Park said after missing the cut on Thursday. “If it is my last time [playing on tour], then I am very appreciative for the opportunity to kind of rewrite the ending of my golf career, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to play with Paula.”

Grace’s then undiagnosed seizures occurred in July 2021 during the Ascendant LPGA. Park rushed Grace, then only 10 months old, to a local hospital. Park stepped away from her 15-year tour career to care for Grace, becoming an advocate for disabled people. Park consistently posts to her social media channels on the challenges Grace, now diagnosed with intractable epilepsy, faces daily.

Teeing it up again on the LPGA was not on Park’s mind until Outlyr, the group that runs the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, asked if she would be open to playing and bringing Grace along. Park played in the first edition of the tournament in 2019 with one of her closest friends, Tiffany Joh. However, Joh couldn’t play this week, as she’s now an associate head coach of the USC programme.

Expectations for the tournament, which Park acknowledged as likely her last career LPGA start, were understandably low. On the No Laying Up Podcast, Park shared she had played eight holes of golf over the two years since leaving the tour. She didn’t warm up on the range before practice rounds, trying to conserve her energy for the week. Park’s goals, instead of being primarily score-related, were to try to be as present as possible during the potential swansong of her playing career.

“I have definitely learned to live life in moments and not take anything for granted,” Park said in her pre-tournament press conference. “The fact that we’re here, the fact that I get to play with an amazing partner and raise awareness for epilepsy and disability.”

What followed were two days of highlights mostly away from the duo’s on-course 75-67 performance. Numerous fans walked the course supporting with their “Grace” hats. Park shared photos of her daughter beaming with laughter. During a second-round weather delay, Creamer and Park went to see their kids, with Park capturing a video of Hilton ending up on top of Grace in a ball pit as both smiled from ear to ear.

 

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“Any time they’ve seen each other, Hilton just gravitates towards Grace,” said Creamer, who has been friends with part since their junior golf days two decades ago. “It’s really amazing.”

Creamer explained the time with Park was some of the most fun she has had in a long time on the LPGA. Creamer also witnessed Park’s rally at the end of their four-ball second round, where Park birdied three of their last four holes to end up at three-under for the day. Creamer teared up on the 18th, understanding it might be goodbye for Park.

“I would play with you in a heartbeat next year if you will take me,” Creamer said to Park. “Please stop saying this is your last one. I’m not ready for it yet.”

Happy with accomplishing her goal of shooting under par for the day, Park turned to her other purpose of playing for the week to wrap up her media availability. Park explained the need for advocacy for disabled people, noting, for example, that someone with a seizure isn’t allowed to drive for six months, impacting one in 26 people diagnosed with epilepsy’s ability to work. It is a world Park did not find herself in by choice, acknowledging how unaware she was of these issues until they impacted Grace. But now, Park is using her voice to champion what the disabled community needs.

“It’s my honour to share Grace’s story because I feel like so many people and so many children with the same disease and disabilities that go unheard and to have a sort of platform to sing praise to her story is an honour,” Park said. “It’s really an honour for me honestly every day to be her mum is the best thing.”

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It is a landmark US Women’s Open, the first time the USGA has taken the biggest championship in women’s golf to Pebble Beach Golf Links, one of the most famous golf courses in the world. And this year’s is certain to be among the most memorable Opens in the 78-year history.

In celebrating the milestone, it felt right to reflect on the championship and spotlight the moments that have helped define the event through the years. There have been a variety of winners—from phenoms and Hall of Famers to dark horses and unknowns—winning in all sorts of ways. There have been tears of joy shed, and tears of heartbreak, too.

We recount it all in our countdown of the 18 most memorable US Women’s Opens, a ranking that is likely to inspire some debate. Before we begin, however, here are a few interesting historical facts about the championship.

• It was not a USGA event initially. It was started by the Women’s Professional Golfers Association, which held it for three years. Then the LPGA was formed and it staged it the next four years. In 1953, the LPGA asked the USGA to take it over.

• The first Women’s Open in 1946 had a field of only 39. Entries have topped 1,000 every year since 2004, with a record 2,107 coming this year for Pebble Beach.

• Mickey Wright and Betsy Rawls share the record for most US Women’s Open victories, with four.

• Forty-five of the first 77 Women’s Opens were won by those in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

• Among those who never won the Women’s Open: Kathy Whitworth, Nancy Lopez, Lorena Ochoa and Beth Daniel.

OK, on to the countdown.

18. Annika goes back-to-back (1996)

Annika Sorenstam had formally announced her arrival in women’s golf the year before at The Broadmoor but began to forge her legacy as the dominant golfer of her generation by winning the Women’s Open for a second straight year. This one came at Southern Pines, a convincing six-stroke victory over Kris Tschetter after shooting a closing 66 to break the Women’s Open 72-hole scoring record with an eight-under 272 total. “It’s a wonderful feeling to win this championship,” Sorenstam said through tears. “Once was wonderful. To win it twice was more than wonderful.” In 2006, she would add a third Open victory to her distinguished record of 72 LPGA titles and 10 majors.

• • •

17. No Open for Nancy (1997)

Nancy Lopez reacts to a missed par putt on the 17th hole at Pumpkin Ridge that, in part, kept her from finally claiming the Women’s Open title. Craig Jones

She was 40 and at the end of her reign, with 48 LPGA victories but none of them the US Women’s Open. Yet Nancy Lopez was tied for second after the second round at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside Portland, Ore., and solo second after the third, trailing by three. Lopez outplayed England’s Alison Nicholas in the final round (69 to 71), but ultimately came up one stroke short after two bogeys in her final four holes and missing a 15-foot birdie to force a playoff on the last. Finishing second for the fourth time in the national championship, Lopez knew she had missed her last best chance at victory: “This should have been the one, darn it.”

• • •

16. Grand Slam bid stymied (1986)

Pat Bradley had won the first two women’s majors that year, the Nabisco Dinah Shore and the LPGA Championship, but her try at a third straight, in the Women’s Open at NCR Country Club, came up three strokes short as she finished in fifth place. Bradley, 35 at the time, would go on to win the du Maurier Classic a few weeks later, becoming the first and only player to win three legs of the Grand Slam in one year in the modern era. History will note that the other major winner in 1986 was Jane Geddes, who prevailed over Sally Little in a playoff at NCR to win the Women’s Open, the first of her two career major victories.

• • •

15. A legend in a landslide (1949)

The Women’s Open in ’49 was played at Prince George’s Country Club in Landover, Md., a par-75 layout that was mastered by only a single player. Louise Suggs played 72 holes in nine-under-par 291 and won by a record 14 shots over Babe Zaharias. Suggs would win 61 tournaments, including a second Women’s Open in 1952 that helped her claim 11 majors in her Hall of Fame career.

• • •

14. First time on TV (1965)

The final round of the Women’s Open at Atlantic City (NJ) Country Club was nationally televised and it produced a worthy champion. Future Hall of Famer Carol Mann won by two, the third of her 38 LPGA wins and second of two majors. The Women’s Open has been televised every year since.

• • •

13. A playoff and a penalty (2016)

Rules officials explain to Brittany Lang (right) the two-shot penalty that Anna Nordqvist had just been assessed during the playoff at CordeValle. Jonathan Ferrey

Tied at six under at California’s CordeValle Golf Club after 72 holes, Brittany Lang and Anna Nordqvist continued on in a three-hole aggregate playoff. On the second extra hole, the 17th at CordeValle, Nordqvist inadvertently and unknowingly touched the sand with her club in a fairway bunker. The infraction was caught on TV, and Nordqvist incurred a two-stroke penalty, which she was told about while playing the next hole. Lang would go on to win the playoff by three. “Just focusing on hitting my shots, and apparently I touched the sand,” Nordqvist said afterwards. “It wasn’t on purpose. And just one of those things. I have to deal with the consequences. Unfortunately, it happened, but it’s not the end of the world.”

• • •

12. One sweetheart victory (2010)

Paula Creamer’s celebration after winning by four at Oakmont was emotional. Scott Halleran

One of the game’s most popular players, Paula Creamer had eight LPGA victories prior to arriving at Oakmont Country Club but was still in search of a major title to help validate her status as one of the top players. In the months preceding the Open, the 23-year-old nursed a hand injury that still bothered her throughout the week and wasn’t exactly conducive to playing in Oakmont’s gnarly rough. She prevailed nonetheless, winning by four and posting a 72-hole score of three-under 281.

• • •

11. The very first champion (1946)

The inaugural US Women’s Open was a match-play event that had a 39-player field to start, with the final coming down to two future World Golf Hall of Famers, Patty Berg and Betty Jameson. Berg, who won 36-hole stroke-play qualifying by seven shots, prevailed in the 36-hole final, 5 and 4, at Spokane (Wash.) Country Club. The 28-year-old, who four years later would be one of the founding members of the LPGA Tour, claimed a first prize of $5,600 in war bonds. The following year and from then on out, a 72-hole stroke play format was used.

• • •

10. An amateur beats the pros (1967)

France’s Catherine Lacoste, 22, made history with her two-stroke victory at The Homestead, becoming the first and only amateur to win the Women’s Open. That said, it didn’t come without some nerves; Lacoste, daughter of tennis star Rene Lacoste, took a five-stroke lead into the final round and shot 79, but hung on for the title. In 1969, she went on to win the British Ladies Amateur (a title her mother won in 1927) and the US Women’s Amateur, but by 1970 she had all but retired from competitive golf, never having turned professional. No other amateur has been able to match Lacoste’s feat, though others have come close, notably Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang finishing tied for second in 2005 and Nancy Lopez tying for second in 1975.

• • •

9. Annika begins her reign (1995)

A second straight US Women’s Open title help solidify Annika Sorenstam’s burgeoning place in women’s golf. JD Cuban

Big things were expected from Sorenstam after she became the first international player to win the NCAA title in 1991 and finished runner-up at the 1992 US Women’s Amateur. But after joining the LPGA in 1994, she had failed to post a victory prior to arriving at The Broadmoor and didn’t look as though she would do it in Colorado, either, entering the final round trailing leader Meg Mallon by five. But Sorenstam closed with a 68, Mallon a 74 and Annika had the first of her 72 LPGA victories and 10 majors.

• • •

8. An unexpected champion (2003)

Hilary Lunke’s brief career had one shining moment when she shocked women’s golf by winning the Women’s Open at Pumpkin Ridge, defeating Angela Stanford and Kelly Robbins in a playoff. At 24, the Stanford grad was the first winner who had gone through local and sectional qualifying to play her way into the field. It was her only victory in an otherwise lacklustre career, and she retired five years later after only seven seasons on the LPGA Tour. In 24 career major starts, her next best finish was a T-37.

• • •

7. The ultimate birdie for Birdie (2005)

Birdie Kim celebrates after holing a bunker shot for birdie on the 72nd hole at Cherry Hills. Christian Petersen

Morgan Pressel, then a 17-year-old high schooler, was trying to accomplish the improbable at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver and become the second amateur to win the Women’s Open—and the youngest-ever winner of a major title. She was tied for the lead on the 72nd hole, standing in the fairway and watching the other co-leader, Birdie Kim, play her third shot on par 4 from a greenside bunker. The 23-year-old South Korean proceeded to shock everyone—particularly Pressel—when she holed the tricky sand shot for a birdie. “I was never a good bunker player,” Kim said. “Finally, I make it.” Pressel couldn’t regroup, bogeying the hole to allow Kim to win by two, her only LPGA victory.

• • •

6. A costly mistake (1957)

A dejected Jackie Pung (left) sits during the prize ceremony as Betsy Rawls is awarded the Women’s Open trophy at Winged Foot. Bettmann

Jackie Pung had the championship at Winged Foot Golf Club won by a stroke over Betsy Rawls, then lost it when it was revealed she had signed an incorrect scorecard. She made a bogey 6 on the fourth hole of the final round, yet her playing partner, Betty Jameson, marked Pung down for a 5. Pung, incidentally, made the same error on Jameson’s card and both were disqualified. “Winning the Open is the greatest thing in golf,” Pung, 35, said at the presentation ceremony. “I have come close before. This time I thought I’d won. But I didn’t. Golf is played by rules, and I broke a rule. I’ve learned a lesson. And I have two broad shoulders …” Herbert Warren Wind, writing for Sports Illustrated, noted: “You will probably never see an unhappier group of people at a golf championship than was gathered at the Winged Foot Golf Club.” Indeed, the members had become fond of Pung during the week, and after the mistake raised $3,000 among them to present to her, or $1,200 more than she would have earned with the victory.

• • •

5. The phenom delivers (2014)

Michelle Wie’s win at Pinehurst silenced those who doubted whether she would live up to her hype as a junior phenom. Scott Halleran

Expectations had been exceedingly high for Michelle Wie throughout her career, not long after having qualified for the US Women’s Amateur Public Links at 10 and missing the cut by one in the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii at 14. Yet these expectations went largely unfilled until she won the Women’s Open, defeating Stacy Lewis by two, at Pinehurst No. 2, the week after Martin Kaymer had won the US Open there in the USGA’s memorable back-to-back Opens. The 24-year-old’s reaction told it all: “Oh, my God, I can’t even think straight. I’m so happy right now. I’m just unbelievably happy. I’m so honoured to have my name on the trophy. Just so grateful for everything. I’m just really happy. I’m really thankful, just everything, feeling every single emotion I can right now.”

• • •

4. A Hall-of-Fame career fulfilled (1999)

Juli Inkster was able to win her first Women’s Open without too much worry, in the process breaking the USGA scoring record in relation to par. Luke Frazza

A three-time winner of the US Women’s Amateur, Inkster seemed certain to one day claim a Women’s Open title when she embarked on her Hall of Fame career. Yet in her first 19 starts in the championship, she had only two top-10 finishes (including a painful playoff loss in 1992 when Patty Sheehan birdied her last two holes to force the extra round, then won by two shots). At age 38, in her 20th start, however, Inkster put together a stellar performance at Old Waverly Golf Club, shooting a USGA record 16-under-par score to win by five strokes. “The hardest part was it really was my tournament to lose. No one had the pressure on except me. I had no one to blame but myself,” Inkster said, having started the final round-up by four shots. It was the 20th of her 31 career LPGA victories and the first of two Women’s Open titles (she’d win again in 2002 at Prairie Dunes). “This is the ultimate tournament,” Inkster said. “No one can take away from me that I’m a US Open champion.”

• • •

3. A win that inspires a nation (1998)

Se Ri Pak’s victory at Blackwolf Run inspired a generation of golfers in South Korea. Craig Jones

She was only 20, still mostly an unknown outside of South Korea who’d surprised American fans by winning the LPGA Championship six weeks earlier. Yet Se Ri Pak probably would have been considered an underdog in the playoff at the Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run had it been not for the person she was facing. Jenny Chuasiriporn, a 20-year-old Duke undergrad, made a 40-foot putt on the 18th hole to force extra holes and was trying to write her own “can you believe this” story. Tied still after the 18-hole playoff, the pair went another two holes before Pak pulled out the victory with a birdie. The championship was televised in South Korea, and Pak’s victory ignited a movement that resulted in South Korea’s LPGA dominance. “Back then, there was not the communication there is today,” Pak said when recalling the win. “It wasn’t until a week after I won that I learned that all of Korea was watching. It was unbelievable to me.” Following Pak’s lead, 46 more South Korean golfers have won LPGA Tour titles and all told 18 South Koreans have combined to win 33 majors. “At that moment,” said 2011 US Women’s Open winner So Yeon Ryu of Pak’s win, “just golf is my hobby and violin my dream. But now the violin is my hobby, golf is my dream, my job. So totally changed.” Pak went on to win 25 LPGA events, including five majors, before retiring in 2016. She is in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

• • •

2. Comeback from cancer (1954)

Babe Zaharias’ comeback was inspirational to her and others dealing with cancer. Underwood Archives

Fifteen months after undergoing cancer surgery, Babe Zaharias, at 43, became the oldest player to win the Women’s Open, running away with the title by 12 strokes at Salem (Mass.) Country Club, her third Women’s Open victory. “My prayers have been answered,” said Zaharias, who had missed the 1953 Open due to the surgery. “I just told the Lord to let me play again, and I’d take care of the winning. Today, we sealed the bargain.” Indeed, her performance was described in Golf World magazine as “the greatest sustained golf ever in a women’s championship.” At year’s end, the Associated Press voted her the female athlete of the year for the sixth time. Zaharias would not have a chance to defend her title a year later, forced to miss the championship because of back surgery that revealed the cancer had returned. She died in September 1956, at 45.

• • •

1. The Open’s greatest champion shines once more (1964)

Mickey Wright’s connection to the USGA and the Women’s Open will continue on after her death, thanks to her donation of her estate and possessions to the governing body. PGA of America

Any US Women’s Open list has to include Mickey Wright, who won the last of her four Women’s Opens at San Diego Country Club, the golf course on which she grew up alongside friend Billy Casper. “That was a very personal tournament,” Wright said years later. “It was my home. It was the first tournament that my mother and father had both seen me play in a tournament.” Wright beat Ruth Jessen, who also had San Diego ties, by two shots in an 18-hole playoff. “I hate to lose,” Jessen said, “but there is some consolation in losing to the greatest woman golfer in the world.” Indeed, it was Wright’s seventh win of the season and she would add four more titles before the year was out. Wright eventually ran her LPGA victory total to 82, including 13 major championships. Wright died in 2020 but her connection to the Women’s Open will continue; in Wright’s will, she bequeathed her estate and possessions to the USGA, which then announced that it has named the medal the Women’s Open champion received after Wright.

The post The 18 most memorable US Women’s Opens, ranked appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

And Paula Creamer was Paula Creamer. She took part in a meet-and-greet session and clinic, all with the usual poise and charm that made her arguably the most popular American player of her generation. She wore all black, other than the pink hat that still denotes her long-standing nickname of the Pink Panther.

She talked about swing plane and pitch shots, her workout routine and the truly arduous effort it’s taken to get back into playing shape while being the mother to eight-month-old Hilton, whose birth was celebrated in early January by Paula and her fiancé, Shane Kennedy.

“Time management and I are not great together,” Creamer intimated to the group. “I’ve never been late to a tee time, but I’m late for a lot of things. I’ve tried to get a lot better for Hilton’s sake.”

It seems like these sort of gigs could make Creamer’s life rather cushy at this point. At 36, and with eight long and trying years removed from her 10th and last LPGA Tour win, she seemingly could transition to any number of roles in the game that emphasise her people skills. Broadcasting, for one. Or she could choose to simply step away from the grind of competition, as Michelle Wie West, 32, and a mother to two-year-old Makenna, did earlier this year.

There’s a problem with every one of those scenarios. Creamer, who played only seven times last year on the LPGA Tour and made just one cut, is not ready to give up playing for a living, and this week she’s making her first LPGA start in more than a year at the Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio.

Sitting on a couch at TaylorMade three weeks ago, Creamer was reminded that she’s been away and out of the spotlight for quite some time. She laughed and agreed, noting: “I don’t think that anyone knows where I’m at. Somebody asked me if I was getting out to play to do sponsor days to keep everyone happy.”

She was gracious, though deep down, probably a bit insulted.

“I said, ‘No, I’m trying to win.’”

 

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Never mind that only five players 30 or older have won on tour in 2022, the oldest being Eun-Hee Ji at 36 when she claimed victory at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play. Creamer maintains this isn’t a stunt. “I’m really fired up, honestly,” she said. “I know what it takes to be great. I know what it takes when you’re younger and all you have is golf to focus on. I understand that I have to use all of my years of experience and take what is good and put it all into my new life. This is a new chapter, and it doesn’t have to be the chapter of me going off into the sunset.

“I was never going down that path,” she added. “There were times out there that were reality checks for what I needed to do. These girls are good. They don’t have a baby and aren’t 35 years old. They don’t have other distractions in their life. Now, I have to figure out how to beat them.”

This isn’t the champion of the 2010 US Women’s Open simply wishing for good things to happen. Over the last year, save for the 12 weeks off after giving birth via C-section, Creamer has toiled like never before on her game. Terribly unhappy with the weak-hitting and erratic golf that gave her no chance to win — with a good portion of the struggles due to years of pain in her surgically repaired left wrist and thumb — Creamer got back from Aramco Series Ladies European Tour event in Spain in August 2021 and called an instructor, Grant Waite, whom she only knew by name and reputation.

More than five months pregnant at the time, Creamer asked the Kiwi, a former PGA Tour player, if he’d take her on. Waite, already with a growing list of students, agreed and asked when she’d like to start. “Tomorrow” was the reply.

The driving range at Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windemere, Florida — the former home base for Tiger Woods — is literally only a few steps from Creamer’s backyard. The player and coach met there, and Creamer laid out the reality for Waite.

“I had to be vulnerable,” Creamer said, “in telling him, ‘All right, I really trust you. This is not my last shot by any means, but this is a big moment for me — that I have the ability to come back and just go guns blazing. I’m not holding anything back.’”

Since then, Waite was beyond impressed.

“She’s taking this seriously and working diligently — doing all of the things I’ve asked her to do,” he said on the phone. “It’s impressive because this is a successful LPGA Tour player. This is not someone trying to get to that level. She’s a proven winner. She knew her game wasn’t where it needed to be.”

The changes they’ve made to Creamer’s swing are nothing short of extraordinary. For all of her life, Creamer explained, she swung mostly with her arms, thinking that the harder she pulled down with her left arm, the more power she’d produce. In reality, she was putting enormous stress on her arms while completely ignoring the body’s biggest swing mechanism — her core. Over time, she unfortunately grooved a pull-draw with the driver that didn’t fly anywhere. (In 2019, her last full playing season, Creamer ranked 130th in average driving distance at 250 yards.)

Waite now has Creamer making a much wider turn in her swing, which has corrected her club path while also giving her more speed. She’s made remarkable gains in her swing speed, going from 93mph to 99mph. She’s also gone from hitting down on her driver by 2 degrees — a big distance eater — to 1 or 2 degrees positive.

“From where the clubhead comes out of my swing now to where it was, it’s like a foot and a half!” Creamer told the TaylorMade group. “It’s made a massive difference in my speed and power. I’m consistently able to work the ball so much better now.”

Paula Creamer celebrates her four-stroke victory at the 2010 US Women’s Open at Oakmont. Scott Halleran

Waite says Creamer has mostly overcome the “fight or flight” response that athletes experience when big changes are asked of them. They often want to revert to what’s comfortable, especially under pressure. The coach warned the player that the changes would sometimes “fall apart” once she got on the course, but that was part of the process. “Wow, this is a challenge,” Creamer said to him at one point.

“She believes in what she’s doing,” Waite says now. “This is not Paula going out to try to play. This is Paula going out there to be competitive, to win.”

Creamer has put herself on a schedule like many other working moms. From 9-5 Monday through Friday, she has a nanny to take care of Hilton. She and Waite work through their practice routine, then Creamer plays 18 to 27 holes and ends most days with either lifting or cardio. The weekend is all about family time.

Of course, the idea of taking Hilton out on the road has been daunting. In front of the TaylorMade audience, Creamer cracked: “I have no idea what to do there, but I do know how to hit a 7-iron. I think we’re in for a big, wide experience. It’ll be great to have her there.

“I’m really looking forward to being out on tour, seeing my friends, doing it as a mother, in a place where I’m comfortable in my own skin. Whatever happens, happens. I’ll be interested to see where my game is at.”

 

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Creamer’s parents will travel with her for some time, and Paula has had plenty of discussions with tour mums such as Juli Inkster — “She checks every box in my book” — and two players with whom Creamer grew up competing, Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang.

Like her peers, Creamer has a deep desire to have her daughter see mum playing at the top of her game. She says that has been among the prime reasons she’s worked so hard to come back.

“I want to show her I can do this,” Creamer said. “Yes, I’ve had success and I have great fans that I love, even when I’ve been missing in action these last four or five years with my golf game.”

In this instance, Creamer is doing some dreaming.

“How cool would it be,” she said with a bright smile, “to say: ‘Look Hilton, this is the really hard work I did to get back with you in my tummy.’”

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By Keely Levins
Paula Creamer’s 2022 is off to an exciting start. The 2010 U.S. Women’s Open champion and her fiancé, Shane Kennedy, welcomed their first child, Hilton Rose, on January 7th.

The 35-year-old posted a photo of Hilton on Instagram to announce her arrival, and quickly received a flurry of congratulations from fellow tour players.

 

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Creamer, who’s won 10 times on the LPGA Tour, played in LPGA events until the end of July. Last year was the first time she’d competed since 2019; she took a year and a half off to recover from wrist surgery.

She was still posting swing videos to Instagram five weeks before she gave birth. At the last LPGA event she played, the Amundi Evian Championship, she told the press she plans on returning to the tour after maternity leave.

For now, though, Creamer and Kennedy are settling into their new roles as parents.

“You are the best gift ever,” Creamer wrote on Instagram. “Your daddy and I are so blessed.”

The post Paula Creamer announces arrival of baby girl, Hilton Rose appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tod Leonard
Look closely at the USGA logos surrounding The Olympic Club this week. The most prominent one is the trophy placed among the words, “76th U.S. Open,” with “The Olympic Club” in smaller type. Notice what’s missing? The word “women.”

Through their careers, those from the USGA will remind us, players such as Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb have not referred to their victories in the national championship as the “U.S. Women’s Open.” To them, they triumphed in the “U.S. Open,” plain and simple. They can take as much pride in that achievement as any male champion.

MORE: Think an amateur can’t win the Women’s Open? Rachel Heck might change your mind

And it is to that end that the USGA won’t apologize for or minimize how difficult the challenge will be this week on the Lake Course. There are murmurs on the grounds among players and caddies that because of the rough, dampness, wind gusts that could reach 20 mph and general ferociousness of the layout, any red number in a single round will be hard to come by. Some think the winning score could bring back comparisons to Jack Fleck’s 1955 U.S. Open upset of Ben Hogan at Olympic, when they both finished 72 holes at seven over par.

John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s senior director of championships, said on Wednesday morning that he heard such talk from a couple of caddies with whom he chatted during a USGA function on Tuesday night.

“These players are good!” Bodenhamer said. “They’re going to find a way to hit those fairways, they’re going to make putts, and you’re going to see players under par. You’re just gonna! I’ll say that now. I don’t know what it will be. But they’re damn good, and we want to showcase that. And it is hard, and when they do excel and they shoot under par on a hard place, I think it just showcases that side of what they do.”

Bodenhamer chuckled when adding, “We’re going to hear some grousing—I had to pitch out three times today; boy, that green was pretty darn fast; what was that hole location about?”

His response: This is the U.S. Open.

“We don’t want to dumb it down,” he said.

Of primary concern for the players is the primary rough, and the fact that the fairways run straight into it without an intermediate trim to soften the blow of missing the short grass by a couple of feet, or even inches. LPGA Tour veteran and major winner Angela Stanford called the rough “shocking” and said, “I told the USGA guys that somebody lost the key to the lawnmower. Holy cow.”

Rachel Heck, the NCAA women’s national champion from Stanford, said she got her first taste of The Olympic Club rough on Sunday—on her very first hole, the 528-yard par-5 No. 1. She recounted driving into the rough, trying a 5-iron that only advanced 40 yards into more rough, hitting her third shot across the fairway into—yes, more rough, and then she finally found the green.

“So that was good off the bat to see that,” she said.

Damp conditions and no first cut of rough will make the Olympic Club play more difficult for the U.S. Women’s Open. Robert Beck

The rough has since been evenly trimmed to 2¾ inches, which is what it will play for the championship, Bodenhamer said.

“The rough is penal,” he said. “But it’s U.S. Open rough. That’s what we want it to be.” He insisted that players could come close to reaching greens with mid-irons out of the rough. “Anybody can pitch out,” Bodenhamer said. “You’re going to see some birdies, but you’re going to see some double bogeys. The individuals who can minimize the double bogeys or three-putts are going to find success here.”

Bodenhamer said that the rough has been mitigated to some degree by fairways that are 10 to 20 percent wider than the men faced in the last U.S. Open contested at Olympic in 2012. Similar to the Women’s Open setups at Oakmont in 2010 and Pinehurst in 2014, the course will play significantly shorter. The listed yardage for the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic was 7,170 yards. This week, the Lake’s tipped-out yardage is 6,457—or 713 yards shorter. (Seven of the 11 par 4s will play at less than 400 yards, with No. 7 playing at 263 and the 18th at 326.)

The USGA says this is the kind of storied venue and test the women have been clamouring for, and whatever the conditions, they have seen an excitement among the players this week that rivals any buildup they’ve experienced in 76 years.

“To see the players arrive on-site and immediately start to, through their [social media] channels, to be so genuinely thrilled to be at the Olympic Club with all of its history … that’s very tangible to us,” said Beth Major, the USGA’s senior director of communications who has worked at major championships for more than two decades. “That’s what we’re trying to accomplish, to give these players the greatest stage to showcase their talents.”

Paula Creamer, who won her only major in the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont, summed it all up in three words on Wednesday.

“Venue,” she said, “is everything.”

The post Under some fire for Olympic Club setup, USGA sticking by the test it plans for U.S. Women’s Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Paisley
Just days after adding her name to the field at this month’s Pure Silk Championship to resume her LPGA career after an 18-month hiatus, Paula Creamer has another tournament already lined up, this one a major.

On Monday, the USGA announced that it was giving Creamer, 34, a special exemption into the U.S. Women’s Open, to be played at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, June 3-6.

Creamer, who won the championship in 2010 at Oakmont, the biggest of her 10 LPGA titles, saw the 10-year exemption into the Women’s Open that came with that victory expire last year. With this year’s championship being held essentially in her old backyard—Creamer grew up 45 miles from San Francisco in Pleasanton, Calif.—and being unable to play in last year’s Open due to a nagging wrist injury, the special exemption was particularly meaningful to Creamer.

“Growing up in Northern California, one of my fondest golf memories is attending the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club with my father, which truly sparked my love for USGA championships and the complete test they present to the players,” Creamer said during a virtual press conference. In addition to her 2010 victory, Creamer has five top-10 and 11 top-20 finishes in 17 career U.S. Women’s Open appearances.

Creamer, who now lives in Florida, hasn’t play on the LPGA since the BMW Ladies Championship in October 2019 for two reasons, according to her agent. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, Creamer only left her Windemere home to take a few trips to see her family. Additionally, her doctors advised giving her surgically repaired left wrist additional time to heal.

In September 2017, Creamer underwent season-ending surgery on her left hand. She returned to action the following March, but continued to have trouble the next two years. After taking the lead during the first round at the 2019 Evian Championship, her play noticeably dwindled. She finished T-55 and missed every cut in her remaining starts that had a cut. It culminated with a WD at the Volunteers of America Classic after missing five cuts in a row. After two weeks off following her WD, she played two events, the Buick LPGA Shanghai and BMW Ladies Championship.

In 2020, Creamer was hoping to start playing again, with plans to return in April. Once the pandemic shut the LPGA Tour down, her medical team told her she had no reason to pick up a club. When the LPGA announced that status from 2019 would carry over into 2021, her team did not apply for a medical extension. She has category 11 status from finishing 91st on the official money list in 2019, guaranteeing her status for the entire 2021 season.

Creamer focused instead on rest, not touching a club until November 2020 where she tested it on a range.

“It was quite the sight. I can tell you I hit some golf shots that I just never thought I could do,” Creamer said. “I was very upset with myself for taking that much time off, as we always say. Two weeks is something, but when you take off seven, eight months that’s a whole ‘nother ballgame right there, but it was nice to be able to get the club in my hands.”

The break has granted a reprieve for Creamer. It’s the first time she has been pain-free in a long time. Her wrist feels healthier than it has since 2010, letting her feel comfortable practising all day if she felt like it.

Creamer reconnected with her old coach David Whelan in late 2020 to get ready for tournament play again. Creamer last worked with him in 2018. He coached Creamer when she was at the IMG Academy as a teenager in the 2000s.

Creamer recently tested out her game competitively after a couple of months of practice. She played two events on the National Women’s Golf Association in late March and late April. Her last start was April 20-21 at Hawks Landing Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, where she shot one over for the two day event.

She debated starting earlier in the 2021 season, but settled on Kingsmill, where she finished second in 2012, losing a playoff to Jiyai Shin on the ninth extra hole. Creamer anticipates playing full time from now on.

The post Paula Creamer gets special exemption into U.S. Women’s Open as she prepares to resume her playing career appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Paisley
The Pink Panther, Paula Creamer, is returning to the LPGA Tour after an 18-month hiatus. Creamer has entered the field at the Pure Silk Championship at Kingsmill Resort in Virginia later this month with the intent to resume her LPGA career.

The 34-year-old, 10-time winner hasn’t played on the LPGA since the BMW Ladies Championship in October 2019 for two reasons, according to her agent. Creamer was conscious of the COVID-19 pandemic, only leaving her Windemere home to take a few trips to see her family. Additionally, her doctors advised giving her surgically repaired left wrist additional time to heal.

In September 2017, Creamer underwent season-ending surgery on her left hand. She returned to action the following March, but continued to have trouble the next two years. After taking the lead during the first round at the 2019 Evian Championship, her play noticeably dwindled. She finished T-55 and missed every cut in her remaining starts that had a cut. It culminated with a WD at the Volunteers of America Classic after missing five cuts in a row. After two weeks off following her WD, she played two events, the Buick LPGA Shanghai and BMW Ladies Championship.

In 2020, Creamer was hoping to start playing again. However, in the midst of the pandemic, her medical team told her she had no reason to pick up a club. When the LPGA announced that status from 2019 would carry over into 2021, her team did not apply for a medical extension. She has category 11 status from finishing 91st on the official money list in 2019, guaranteeing her status for the entire 2021 season.

Creamer focused instead on rest, not touching a club until January 2021.

The break has granted a reprieve for Creamer. It’s the first time she has been pain-free in a long time. Her wrist feels healthier than it has since 2010.

Creamer reconnected with her old coach David Whelan in late 2020 to get ready for tournament play again. Creamer last worked with him in 2018. He coached Creamer when she was at the IMG Academy as a teenager in the 2000s.

Creamer recently tested out her game competitively after a couple of months of practice. She played two events on the National Women’s Golf Association in late March and late April. Her last start was April 20-21 at Hawks Landing Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, where she shot one over for the two day event.

She debated starting earlier in the 2021 season, but settled on Kingsmill, where she finished second in 2012, losing a playoff to Jiyai Shin on the ninth extra hole. Creamer anticipates playing full time from now on.

The post Paula Creamer returning to the LPGA following 18-month hiatus appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But seriously, people, stay safe out there. Or, rather, IN there. this is no joke and the sooner we all do our part, the sooner we’ll be able to return to focusing on much sillier stuff like Tiger’s pursuit of Jack, LeBron’s pursuit of MJ, and (gulp) even the Masters. Just listen to the man himself:

There are a lot more important things in life than a golf tournament right now. We need to be safe, smart and do what is best for ourselves, our loved ones and our community.

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 16, 2020

Good to hear from him, by the way. It had been a while. Anyway, of course, we’ll still talk about the sillier stuff here. So crank up your Wi-Fi, find a comfy spot to sit, and let’s get to it.

WE’RE BUYING

Playing golf (for now): This might already not be an option where you live—as we are reminded constantly this is a “fluid” situation—but there are also many golf courses taking plenty of safety precautions. And if you walk, carry your bag, avoid all handshakes/fist bumps, and Venmo all bets, you should be fine. As our Mike Stachura points out, being outside playing this great game is also a great way to relieve stress. And as someone cooped up with a wife and a two-year-old for the foreseeable future, let me know if you have a spot in your foursome. Please.

Greg Eason: Believe it or not, there was still some golf being played on the All Pro Tour, where Eason claimed the Coke Dr. Pepper Open—instantly my favourite tournament name ever. But as our friend Ryan French points out, the bigger deal here is that this was a guy who just three years ago failed to break 90 for three consecutive (brutally windy) rounds on the Korn Ferry Tour:

Greg Eason once had 3 consecutive rounds in the 90's on the KFT Tour…
Yesterday he won on the APT after making 26 birdies and just 3 bogeys over 72 holes.
His 68-63-66-68 (-23) beats the 170 player field, and he wins 35K #NeverGiveUp

— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) March 15, 2020

Now that’s a bounceback.

Padraig Harrington’s backyard: If you’re a tour pro, you may as well take this time as an opportunity to work on your short game:

Padraig Harrington’s home wedge practice area ? pic.twitter.com/SRb7rhQhSm

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 16, 2020

Nice setup, Paddy. There are certainly a lot worse places to be on lockdown.

Paula Creamer’s pad: As in, I’d love to buy this place and ride out this Coronavirus there if I had an extra $6.35 million. Just look at the fitness center:

OK, I’d still never use that. But how about the game room and the home theatre:

And I wouldn’t even have to do any decorating because that Tiger mural is already up!

WE’RE SELLING

Paula Creamer’s timing: What a month to put your mansion on the market, huh? Probably aren’t going to be a lot of open houses for the next few weeks. But again, at least Creamer has plenty of space and amenities during these crazy times.

Hideki Matsuyama’s timing: Poor Hideki. The dude is trending toward returning to the winner’s circle, then opens with a course-record-tying 63 at TPC Sawgrass to take a two-shot lead, and the PGA Tour’s flagship event promptly gets cancelled.

Cliff Hawkins

Instead of possibly picking up his biggest win, Matsuyama left with the same $52,083.33 check given to all 144 players who teed it up. Let’s just say the two guys who shot 79, Nick Watney and Patton Kizzire, got a better deal.

COVID-19: It goes without saying that in the seven-year-plus history of The Grind, I have never wanted to sell anything more than this devastating disease. And while sports are certainly at the bottom of the priority list these days, we still miss them—not only for their entertainment, but for the way they connect us. Hang in there, everyone. Again, “in” being the keyword.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour was supposed to finish the Florida Swing this week at the Valspar Championship, but, well, you know. It’s unclear when we’ll see the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, European Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, etc. again and that sucks for fans and players, but it also sucks for those who work so hard all year to put on these events and for the communities and charities that profit from them. To that point, here was a great message from Billy Horschel:

Let’s help out the charities and organizations that are effected by the cancellation of the upcoming tournaments! Thank you! @THEPLAYERSChamp @ValsparChamp @DellMatchPlay @valerotxopen @CoralesChamp pic.twitter.com/8e3hU5BNts

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) March 13, 2020

Let’s hope things get back to normal soon.

Random tournament fact: The Valspar has been sneaky-great the past few years, check out these results (just pay no mind to the top one. . . )

Paul Casey’s three-peat will have to wait until next year.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Tiger Woods will win the Masters—at some point this year: 16-to-1 odds (Actual odds)
—Kramer Hickock will win this week’s All Pro Tour event: 7-to-1 odds (Also, actual odds)
—Vegas sports books are going to struggle for the next couple months: LOCK

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

If you’ve ever been to the Players Championship, you know Friday (and Saturday) afternoon is an absolute party. Well, not this year:

An eerily quiet and empty TPC Sawgrass on an otherwise spectacular Friday afternoon after @THEPLAYERSChamp is canceled … pic.twitter.com/KB4nXINXOl

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) March 13, 2020

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

#StayAtHomeChallenge – Golf ???‍ pic.twitter.com/cMsvrllVQ2

— Matthias Schwab (@schwab_matth) March 16, 2020

Impressive, but Matthias better bar his doors because people are going to come after his toilet paper stash.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

A week ago, things seemed relatively normal in the U.S. Sports were being played, stores were fully stocked with toilet paper, and Rory McIlroy was giving great quotes like this on Pete Dye courses:

“Yeah, going on from there [Whistling Straits], winning at Kiawah, winning at Crooked Stick, winning here, I’ve started to quite like them. But as you said, an acquired taste. They’re like beer when you’re younger. You sort of don’t like it but then you think it’s cool to drink it and then you sort of acquire a taste for it.”

Maybe we can keep the Rory press conferences going even when there aren’t tournaments?

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

going to be a long break for DJ… pic.twitter.com/luXARuCm8V

— Eric Patterson (@EPatGolf) March 14, 2020

Cute, but yeah. . . Pray for DJ.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

After arriving home safely and with a month off, I could sense things were going to go one way or the other. I was either going to use this time to workout, get fit and stronger or I was going to lay in bed, watch shows and eat. After day 1, the latter is in the lead.

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) March 15, 2020

I’m with you, Phil. The COVID-19 15 is going to become a thing.

THIS WEEK IN OTHER TOUR PROS BEING QUARANTINED

Marc Leishman has even more time to take care of his lawn:

Marc Leishman is wasting no time getting to work prepping his beloved lawn for the spring. What an absolute Dad legend. pic.twitter.com/mYC1ku8ks5

— Outside The Cut (@OutsideTheCut) March 13, 2020

My father-in-law does the same thing. WILD. And Justin Thomas fired a 65 against Rickie Fowler—and lost. By FIVE strokes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9w9ZbehMK_/?utm_source=ig_embed

Nice job, Rickie, but maybe save those for the Sundays that really count. . .

THIS AND THAT

In addition to Augusta National postponing the Masters, the club is completely closing down until further notice. We’re guessing the members aren’t getting any refunds on this year’s dues. … Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm joined Rory McIlroy in declaring their allegiance to the PGA Tour. With the top three players in the world saying no to the Premier League, RIP PGL. … As of now, the 2020 HGGA Championship is still set for this summer in Pinehurst. Moving our annual golf trip from June to August has never looked smarter. (Fingers crossed.) … And finally, it took my wife and I—brother-in-law through FaceTime—SIX hours to assemble this kids’ kitchen for my daughter’s second birthday:

We finished at 2 a.m. and I have never been more exhausted, frustrated, and proud in my life. Look at that thing! It might be even nicer than Paula Creamer’s kitchen! I just hope the Father of the Year Awards haven’t been cancelled yet.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Who would have won the Players?
What did people do before TV/the Internet?
How long will my soda supply last?

The post Tiger Woods breaks his silence, and Dustin-Paulina dance on, Paula Creamer puts her pad on the market appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Paula Creamer finds herself in an unusual position for a 10-time LPGA winner and former U.S. Women’s Open champion: On the outside looking in to play in a major championship.

The 31-year-old, ranked 115th in the Race to the CME Globe with just just one top-25 finish to her credit in 14 starts this season, is currently the first alternate at this week’s Ricoh Women’s British Open, a championship she has played in the last 13 years. To compete at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, where she finished in third place when the English course last held the event in 2009, she’ll need somebody to withdraw in the next two days.

Creamer tried to earn a spot in the field on Monday during Final Qualifying, where 120 players were gunning for 17 spots at St. Anne’s Old Links. She entered the qualifier having finished in a tie for 35th with a closing 66 the day before at the Aberdeen Investments Ladies’ Scottish Open. Creamer shot a 69 on Monday, which got her into a 12-woman playoff for the final seven qualifying spots.

On the first two playoff holes, Creamer missed birdie putts from six and eight feet. On the fourth playoff hole, she failed to get up and down for par, losing the final Open spot to Canada’s Brittany Marchand.

A year ago, Creamer also played in the Final Qualifying, shooting a 68 that put in her a tie for second and into the tournament.

Another major winner from the U.S., Morgan Pressel, also played in the qualifier. The former Kraft Nabisco champ shot a 71 to miss the playoff by two spots.

Here are the scores for those who advanced through qualifying:

62, Linn Grant (a)

66, Cloe Frankish

67, Rachael Goodall

68, Tonje Daffinrud, Laetitia Beck, Inci Mehmet, Robynn Ree, Ursula Wikstrom, Frida Kinhult (a), Haeji Kang

69, Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras, Tiffany Joh, Hollie Muse (a), Lydia Hall, Sideri Vanova, Ludovica Farina (a) and Brittany Marchand

The post Paula Creamer needs some help if she’s going to play in this week’s Women’s British Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.