BRADENTON, Florida − After finishing practice on Wednesday, Paula Creamer, professional golfer, morphed into Paula Creamer, full-time mom, picking up 2-year-old daughter Hilton Rose from area daycare.
Hard enough is it being one or the other, professional golfer or full-time mom, the 37-year-old Creamer is attempting to juggle both, the added difficulty being her attempt to climb back up the LPGA mountain.
“Everybody out here is really good,” Creamer said, “and trying to balance being a mom, all of that, it’s hard. I’ve really had to buckle down and say, ‘Paula, you’re going to have to work two times harder than they are because I’ve got other things that I have to do.’”
At one time, the former IMG Academy student breathed that mountain’s rarified air. In 2008, Creamer made the cut in all 27 events she entered, winning four and finishing second once. In 2009, she twice finished second in 20 events played and tied for third at the Women’s British Open. In 2010, Creamer won her only major, the U.S. Women’s Open. She was ranked as high as No. 2 in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.
But in the ensuing years, Creamer won just once, the HSBC Women’s Champions event in 2014. The number of tournaments entered decreased, as did the number of cuts not made. Wrist and thumb injuries forced her to miss the entire 2020 season. In 2021, Creamer entered seven tournaments, making the cut once.
Maternity leave again forced her to the sideline. Returning in mid-2022, Creamer made two cuts out of five tournaments played. Last year, the golfer ranked 19th on the LPGA career money list in earnings with more than $12 million missed the cut in 11 of the 13 events she entered. She ended 2023 ranked 872nd in the world.
Paula Creamer, of Pleasanton, Calif., waives to the crowd during round 1 of the 2023 Kroger Queen City Championship in at Kenwood Country Club in Madeira, Ohio, on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.
But Creamer wasn’t prepared to hang up her spikes and devote herself to being a full-time mother, as evidenced by her appearance at the LPGA Drive On Championship. Her first round, a 1-over 72, tied for 58th, hardly was vintage Paula Creamer, but if it serves as a first step back up that LPGA mountain, the player nicknamed “The Pink Panther’ will take it.
“I love playing golf,” she said. “I love competing. And I want to win. It’s been a very tough 4-5 years for me. Everything in my life has changed, but I’m learning how to figure it all out. Last year I felt like a rookie with my daughter being out there, everything has been a new challenge, and these girls are good. Everybody out here is really good. I’ve made a very big effort in putting in the time and the work ethic into my offseason.
“I’m not ready to retire by any means. I love what I’m doing. But it’s very difficult to play bad golf, I will say that. I never really had to go through that in my younger career. It definitely makes me want to get back to where . . . I’ll never be (the younger Paula Creamer). I’m a different person. But I know what I can do and I want to see it again. I want to be in contention. I want to be able to be on TV. I want to show my daughter that you can be a role model … but I want to do it for myself. I want to prove to myself that I can do it.”
It took more than Creamer just wanting it to happen. She worked out, and gained weight and muscle mass, while completely breaking down her swing. To compete against the younger and farther-hitting players on the Tour, Creamer had to involve more of her 5-foot-9 frame in her swing.
“Swinging hard and missing the fairway is, like, OK,” she said. “When I was taught, it wasn’t OK to miss the fairway. Now it doesn’t matter where it goes. It’s hard to overcome that mentality. But I’ve gained 3 miles-per-hour on my club speed and I’m 37. I’ve gained weight. I’m doing the things that I can that I have to use to go against these younger girls and play.”
Remembering the player she once was caused Creamer to apply self-pressure to become that player again. She’s set to tee off for the second round of the LPGA’s Drive On at 8:09 a.m., and sits right near the projected cutline before the day begins,
“It’s hard to channel that nervous energy in a different way,” she said. “This year we put a lot of time into it mentally, and I want to be the best golfer I can be and the best mother I can be, and they go hand in hand.
“I’m not out here just to be a name in the field. I’d never play if I didn’t think I could win. I’m not just here to be on the LPGA Tour. I’m out here to win.”