Paula Creamer Bio
Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer who has competed on the LPGA Tour since 2005. She is best known for her 2010 U.S. Women’s Open victory and for accumulating 12 career professional wins, including 10 on the LPGA Tour. Creamer reached a career-best No. 2 in the Women’s World Golf Rankings and earned the LPGA Rookie of the Year award in 2005. By the end of the 2023 season, she ranked 19th on the all-time LPGA career money list with earnings of $12,161,187.
Beyond her competitive record, Creamer is widely recognized for her signature pink attire, which earned her the nickname “Pink Panther.” She has also built a reputation for her work with junior golf through The First Tee and her own foundation, which supports young players and military families.
Early Life and Background
Paula Creamer was born on August 5, 1986, in Mountain View, California, and raised in Pleasanton. She is the only child of an airline pilot father and a stay-at-home mother. The family home overlooked the first tee of the Castlewood Country Club golf course, which gave her constant exposure to the game during her childhood.
As a young girl, Creamer took part in acrobatic dancing and gymnastics before discovering golf at age 10. Her talent emerged quickly; at 12, she won 13 consecutive regional junior events across northern California, and by 13 she had become the top-ranked female junior golfer in California. Her rapid development in the sport was supported by her family and her early competitive experiences at local clubs.
Seeking a more advanced training environment, Creamer moved to Bradenton, Florida, in 2000 and enrolled at the IMG Pendleton School, a co-educational prep school designed for athletic students. She graduated from IMG Pendleton the week after her first LPGA victory in 2005. She later settled in Windermere, Florida, where she has maintained her residence.
Path to Golf
Creamer’s amateur career was marked by dominant results at the junior and amateur levels. She captured 19 national titles, including 11 American Junior Golf Association events, and was named the AJGA Player of the Year in 2003. She also earned Golf Digest Junior of the Year honors that same season and was recognized as Golf Digest Amateur of the Year in 2004.
Internationally, she represented the United States in the Junior Solheim Cup in 2002 and 2003 and in the 2004 Curtis Cup. In June 2004, she finished second at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, just one stroke behind Cristie Kerr, signaling her readiness for professional competition. Later that year, she tied for 13th at the U.S. Women’s Open.
In December 2004, Creamer won the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament by five strokes to earn her Tour card for the 2005 season. She chose to turn professional immediately at the age of 18, beginning the next chapter of her golf journey.
Paula Creamer Career
Early Career (2005-2007)
Creamer made an immediate impact on the LPGA Tour in 2005. On May 22, she sank a 17-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the Sybase Classic in New Rochelle, New York, to win by one stroke, becoming the LPGA’s second-youngest event winner. She followed that with a victory at the Evian Masters in France by an eight-shot margin and became the youngest and quickest player to reach $1 million in LPGA career earnings.
That year, Creamer also won the NEC Open on the Japan LPGA Tour and the Masters GC Ladies tournament, while helping the U.S. team win the Solheim Cup as its youngest-ever player. She earned the LPGA Rookie of the Year award and finished second on the money list behind Annika Sörenstam. After a quieter 2006 hampered by wrist and foot injuries, she rebounded in 2007 with two LPGA titles, including a playoff win at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, and went unbeaten in five matches at the Solheim Cup.
Major Championship Breakthrough (2008-2010)
The 2008 season was Creamer’s most productive by win count, as she captured a career-high four LPGA titles, including the Fields Open in Hawaii and the Samsung World Championship. She became the first American with four or more wins in a single LPGA season since Juli Inkster in 1999 and led the money list with earnings over $1.8 million. The year also featured a runner-up finish at the Stanford International Pro-Am, where she lost a sudden-death playoff to Sörenstam, and a final-round 78 at the U.S. Women’s Open that knocked her out of contention for her first major.
Injuries began to mount in 2009 and into 2010. A stomach ailment limited her play early in 2009, and a left thumb injury that had surfaced in mid-2009 ultimately required surgery in March 2010, forcing her into an extended absence. Creamer returned to competition in June 2010 and, in only her fourth event back, won the U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont by four strokes. She was the only player to finish under par at 3-under, claiming her first major championship.
Comeback Era (2011-2016)
Creamer’s 2011 season was winless but featured seven top-five finishes, including ties for second at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup and the CME Group Titleholders. She returned to the Solheim Cup in 2011, though the U.S. team lost to Europe. In 2012, she reached a playoff at the Kingsmill Championship that stretched to a record nine holes before she fell to Jiyai Shin, and she added a third-place finish at the Women’s British Open.
After struggling to return to the winner’s circle, Creamer captured her 10th LPGA title at the 2014 HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore. Tied with Azahara Muñoz after 72 holes, she holed a 75-foot eagle putt on the second playoff hole for the victory. In 2015, she delivered a critical singles win that clinched the Solheim Cup for the U.S. team, completing a comeback from a 10-6 deficit. By 2016, she had changed swing instructors to Gary Gilchrist, though her results were mixed during a season in which she posted one top-five finish.
Later Years and Team Role (2017-2024)
Creamer’s results declined through 2017 and 2018 as injuries and swing adjustments took a toll. She underwent season-ending wrist surgery in 2017 and finished outside the top 100 in earnings in 2018. She returned to competition on a limited basis in 2019, with a tie for sixth at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational as her best result.
After skipping the entire 2020 season to heal wrist and thumb injuries, Creamer played sporadically in 2021 and took another break in 2022 for maternity leave. In 2023, she made cuts in two of 13 starts and remained 19th on the all-time LPGA career money list. In 2024, she served as an assistant captain on the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup team.
Playing Style and Strengths
Creamer is regarded as an accurate ball-striker whose strength lies in hitting greens in regulation rather than raw power. Her driving distance has ranked near the bottom of the LPGA Tour; her 2012 average of about 245 yards placed her 193rd. She has compensated for shorter drives with precision iron play and a confident short game, although putting has occasionally been inconsistent.
Notable Events and Milestones
Creamer’s signature moment remains her 2010 U.S. Women’s Open victory at Oakmont, where she was the only player under par. She also set a personal benchmark in 2008 by shooting an 11-under 60 at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, one stroke shy of the LPGA Tour record. Her 75-foot eagle putt to win the 2014 HSBC Women’s Champions stands as one of the most dramatic shots of her career.
Paula Creamer Career Wins
Paula Creamer has won 12 professional tournaments across her career, including 10 titles on the LPGA Tour and two on the LPGA of Japan Tour. Her first victory came at the 2005 Sybase Classic, and her most recent LPGA title came at the 2014 HSBC Women’s Champions. Her 2010 U.S. Women’s Open remains her lone major championship victory.
LPGA Tour Highlights
Creamer’s 10 LPGA Tour wins span from 2005 to 2014. She recorded multiple-win seasons in 2005, 2007, and 2008, with the 2008 campaign standing out as her most successful. Her win at the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open established her as a major champion and remains the cornerstone of her competitive resume.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the LPGA Tour, Creamer captured two titles on the LPGA of Japan Tour in 2005, at the NEC Open and the Masters GC Ladies tournament. As an amateur, she won 19 national events, including 11 American Junior Golf Association tournaments, and represented the United States in the Junior Solheim Cup and Curtis Cup.
Paula Creamer Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Creamer grew up as the only child of an airline pilot father and a stay-at-home mother in Pleasanton, California. The family lived next to the Castlewood Country Club, which played a defining role in her early introduction to golf. Her parents supported her move to the IMG Pendleton School in Florida to advance her training and competitive development.
Personal Life
Creamer has been married and divorced. She married Derek Heath, a United Airlines pilot and United States Air Force veteran, in 2014, and announced in 2018 that the couple had separated. She gave birth to her first child, a daughter, on January 7, 2022.
She maintains endorsement deals with TaylorMade-Adidas, Citizen Watch Co., Ricoh, and Bridgestone Golf, and her likeness has appeared in EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game series. Creamer is also an active philanthropist, supporting The First Tee and running the Paula 4 Kids Celebrity Event to benefit junior golfers in the Sarasota-Manatee area.
2025 Season Outlook
Creamer’s competitive role heading into 2025 remains transitional following her work as an assistant captain for the victorious U.S. Solheim Cup team in 2024. While she has not announced a full-time return to tournament play, her continued presence on the LPGA Tour and the success of her foundation point to a year that could blend limited competitive appearances with broader ambassadorial duties.
Health has been a recurring theme in her recent career, including wrist and thumb injuries that sidelined her for stretches in 2020 and beyond. A potential 2025 campaign would likely focus on select events where her experience and accurate ball-striking remain competitive assets. Her standing on the all-time LPGA career money list ensures her continued relevance in the game’s history.
Beyond playing, Creamer is expected to maintain her commitments to junior golf initiatives and her work with The First Tee. Her legacy as a major champion and her long-running philanthropic efforts give her a platform that extends well past tournament results, leaving the 2025 season as a flexible chapter in an already accomplished career.