Paula Creamer: Learning How to Win

Paula Creamer is an exceptional golf talent. Her first round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic was a showcase of her considerable skills. Ms Creamer’s opening round was an eleven under par sixty, which set a tournament record.

Ms Creamer was at the top of the leader-board. She made this observation: “You know, winning wire-to-wire - that’s difficult to do…”.

Nevertheless, Paula Creamer did win. After that first round of sixty, these were her scores:

• second round: 65
• third round: 70
• final Sunday round: 73

The final tally was a sixteen under par: 268. Ms Creamer finished two shots better than Nicole Castrale. It may have been far closer than Ms Creamer wanted.

Paula Creamer almost demonstrated too well how difficult it is to win, “wire-to-wire”. There is tremendous pressure. The person at the top of the leader-board is the focus of attention from the competitors, the gallery and the media. Some people with names like Annika and Eldrick (aka ‘Tiger’) relish that position, at the front of the pack. They exert their pressure onto the rest of the field from the top of the leader-board. Ms Creamer will be better next time she takes the lead. It is not just golf skills. It is learning how to win and managing the mental part of the game.

Kudos to Ms Creamer. Watch for her. She will be on the leader-board more and more.

Catherine Forsythe