Red, white and blue more important than pink for LPGA’s Paula Creamer on Sept. 11
By Noah Trister, APFriday, September 11, 2009
Creamer in red, white and blue for Sept. 11
ROGERS, Ark. — Paula Creamer showed up for the first round of her LPGA event dressed in barely a trace of pink.
On this day, she had more important colors in mind.
“Red, white and blue, I will take over pink any day,” Creamer said.
Creamer wore a blue shirt, red skirt and red, white and blue earrings Friday on the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She was 15 that day, in a math class in Florida, and she still has vivid memories.
“My dad works for American Airlines, and he was on a trip,” Creamer said. “I called right away when I found out. He was in the airport, getting ready to go. At the time, I didn’t quite understand what was really going on.”
Known for her love of all things pink, Creamer said she was glad to see plenty of red, white and blue during the first round of the NW Arkansas Championship.
“Never forget. That’s the biggest thing, and to support our troops,” she said. “I’m lucky enough to be out here playing golf for a living while there’s people over there trying to keep our country safe.”
Cristie Kerr, the LPGA Tour’s leading money winner this year, also took time to reflect. She was in Portland, Ore., the day of the attacks.
“It was the Pro-Am day … and they canceled the tournament. I wasn’t going to get on a plane by any stretch of the imagination then,” Kerr said. “I drove from Portland, Ore., down to Palm Springs where my coach was living at the time. … It was just something that you’ll never forget.”
“Listening to the story where somebody was descending down the stairwell and the firefighters were going up, and they kind of look at each other and time stopped,” Kerr added. “We owe an amazing debt of gratitude to people who serve the country.”
The flagsticks at Pinnacle Country Club were topped with American flags for the first round.
“I’m very glad they did that,” Kerr said. “We’re in the heartland of America right here, and I think it was fitting.”
