American Idol: Paula Creamer

By Matthew Ginella
Photo By Joey Terrill January 2006

In some ways, Paula Creamer is like most 19-year-olds. She has a hard time sitting still. She lives with her parents and decorates her room with Jessica Simpson pictures. She loves to shop. And she wants her own car, but so far Dad's not budging.

In other ways, Creamer is unique. She's the Pink Panther, a nickname that fits because she's often in pink golf attire, hat to toe. Only two months after high school graduation, she was No. 2 on the LPGA Tour money list. She earned $1 million faster than anyone in the tour's history, though she still can't use an ATM card -- she doesn't know her PIN number. And she won four times on three continents in her first year as a professional, setting the bar even higher for Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel. Only Annika Sorenstam had a better year than Creamer did.

Paula is feisty, fun and cool under pressure. After a near-death experience as a little girl, all she wanted to do was "go get doughnuts." She isn't so concerned if you don't pronounce her name correctly, but after making a bold prediction -- and delivering -- she wants to make sure you know she has something in common with another famous athlete. Some words of advice to the player who stands between Creamer and being the best: Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear.

Golf Digest: It's basic, but a lot of people get it wrong: What's the proper pronunciation of your last name?

Paula Creamer: My name's Creamer: Paula Cream-er, like coffee creamer. On the first tee they ask me, "How do you pronounce it?" They say, "I hear 'Kramer,' I hear this, I hear that," and I say, "No, it's just the way it looks." But you know, after a while you get tired of correcting them.

How many people mispronounce it?

Half. It's getting better. The Golf Channel is now getting it right. It was funny, Nancy [Lopez] said it wrong [at the Solheim Cup]. I was like, "Nancy what are you doing? Come on!"

Great golfers eventually are known by first name only: Arnie, Jack, Nancy, Tiger, Phil, Annika and Vijay. Maybe the problem with your last name will help.

I know! But it'll be for the wrong reason.

A year ago you were an 18-year-old amateur. Now you've won four pro events on three continents and were one of the stars of the Solheim Cup. After what you've accomplished, what do you think when you hear Michelle Wie is on The Golf Channel for a live press conference to turn pro the week before her 16th birthday and is signing for $10 million?

She's been a professional golfer for a long time, in my mind. I've always thought that if she brings her name to women's golf, that means there'll be more interest because the media likes her. There'll be bigger purses, and ultimately it'll be better for me.

There's nothing in you that says, "How come I'm not making $10 million?"

I guess I think about that, but I also think it isn't necessary. I think about what I've accomplished and my career. I care about how many wins I have and whether I'm accomplishing my goals.

When you turned pro, was your press conference televised?

Um . . . no. I think I had something later on The Golf Channel, but it was nothing like she had.

Do you have any idea how much you're worth?

I have no idea.

No idea?

I don't care about that kind of stuff. I care about my quality of life and money, but I don't know an exact number.

Definitely not $10 million?

No, not $10 million.

Maybe $5 million?

In that area.

Who handles your money?

IMG [International Management Group]. My parents are also involved, but I have a person who handles all of my money.

So if you go to an ATM right now and get cash, what's your available balance?

I've never gotten cash out of a machine. I use my credit cards, so I don't need to do that.

You've never gotten cash out of a machine?

Never. I've watched people, but I've never done it.

Come on! How do you get cash?

My dad, I guess.

How many credit cards do you have?

Three.

What color are they?

I have platinum. I have a new green one, which is pretty cool.

Golf Digest people probably don't get the new green ones.

[Laughs.] I do go to the bank and make withdrawals, but not from those machines.

Do you have a PIN number?

I might have one, but I don't know it. I have a debit card, I think, but I've never used it.

Do you get an allowance?

From who, my parents? No, but I'm trying to learn how much I'll allow myself to spend each month: $4,000, maybe $2,000. I haven't figured out the number yet. It depends on where we play. New York was terrible. That was the week I won for the first time, so I went crazy.

How much a month do you spend on clothes?

Too much. It depends. I can go from $1,000 in a week to $1,000 in a month. It's a lot.

On the LPGA Tour, is fashion about keeping up with what other people are doing?

I think I do my own thing. I start my own trends. I see a lot of girls doing what I've been doing. Pink. Nobody wore pink, and now everybody wears it. It's flattering.

Why pink?

It's so girlie. It's a totally different side of me. When people think of me on the golf course, they think of me as so competitive -- and I am. Pink represents the other side of me, the side off the golf course. It reminds me there's more to life than just golf.