NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — Professional golfer and Navy brat Paula Creamer on Monday visited Norfolk's sailors and families, and gave a free golf clinic to dozens of military kids who participate in "The First Tee," a youth organization that promotes life skills and leadership through golf.

The 2005 LPGA Rookie of the Year and 2010 Women's Open champion was treated to a ride on a Landing Craft Air Cushion, visited the carrier George H. W. Bush, and made a successful landing in a helicopter simulator (her husband, an Air Force C-17 pilot, didn't fare as well).

"It is so special when I am able to meet with the men and women who serve our country," said Creamer, whose father was a Navy captain who piloted the P-3 Orion. "Being able to give my time and say 'thank you' is the least I can do."

Golf was a way to spend time with her father, said Creamer, who picked up the game at the age of 10. She also met many friends playing junior golf who are now on the LPGA tour with her. And she made many more friends (and headlines) last month when, two days after Jordan Spieth's win at the Masters, Creamer called on officials at Augusta National to host a women's tournament. You can count the number Augusta's female members on one hand, and those have been added in recent years.

Instead of focusing on such challenges, Creamer encouraged the kids to keep golf fun and learn life principles along the way.

"Golf is just a game," she said. "It doesn't make or break who you are. You can learn a lot through it. You can learn about yourself."

She spoke at length about The First Tee's nine core values: Honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy, and judgment. For the many wide-eyed youngsters eager to follow in her footsteps, Creamer's advice was clear: It will take a lot of hard work and practice, a willingness to make sacrifices, an ability to push past mistakes, and the strong support of parents. Ultimately, whether or not the player succeeds is up to them — no one is in control of the golfer's destiny, and that is a primary reason she loves the game. Creamer pointed to Rickie Fowler as an example. One day earlier he won what is already called the best Players Championship in PGA history, but an anonymous survey of players earlier that week identified him as the most overrated player on the tour.

"It's pretty cool that [Fowler] won, pretty awesome," she said. "Especially being overrated, right? It's funny how you hear something like that, then all of a sudden you win. It's the power of your mind."

Creamer will play in the LPGA Kingsmill Championship in nearby Williamsburg later this week. She called her game an "up and down roller coaster these last couple of months," but is looking forward to overcome the hurdles. The California native has 95 career Top 10 finishes and 10 career victories.

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