ShareThisPaula Creamer was 16, a rising junior golfer with grand ambitions. She had grown up in Pleasanton, Calif. (before moving to Florida at 14) and was attending the Solheim Cup in September 2002. During one practice round, Creamer and some other members of the Junior Solheim Cup team hooked up with Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, another Northern Californian, on the 18th hole.Creamer carried Inkster's bag down the fairway, an absolute thrill for a teenager who had long idolized Inkster. Creamer has called it one of the best moments of her life. Inkster doesn't even remember it happened. They joke about this now, because Creamer and Inkster have become good friends during their four years together on the LPGA Tour. They're both among the 20 players in the field for the Samsung World Championship, which begins Thursday in Half Moon Bay.The relationship falls somewhere between surrogate mother/daughter and big sister/little sister. Inkster is 48, with 31 career victories and widespread respect for the way she remains competitive and balances golf and family. Creamer is 22, with seven career wins and widespread acclaim as one of Lorena Ochoa's chief threats for the No. 1 world ranking (Creamer is No. 5 this week)."I think we have a mutual respect for each other," Inkster said. "Paula knows she can ask me any question at any time. And if I'm struggling, I'll go up and ask her something."Inkster has counseled Creamer on several parts of life on tour, from scheduling to travel to tournament preparation. They were alternate-shot partners in last year's Solheim Cup, winning one match and halving another. "She's one of my biggest mentors on tour," Creamer said. "I have so much respect for what Juli has done for women's golf. ... I see a lot of myself in her and I think she sees a lot of herself in me. We're both feisty competitors."Said Inkster, joking: "I've helped her with her fashion -- she's improved on that a bit."Creamer has won three tournaments this year and stands No. 3 on the money list, though she faded in the final round of the U.S. Women's Open and still seeks her first major title. Inkster, with only two top-10 finishes this season, hasn't played an event since mid-August in part because, "I couldn't handle my swing anymore."(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Creamer, Inkster form unlikely friendship
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