When Paula Creamer was 11 years old, her parents took her to Olympic Club for the third round of the 1998 U.S. Open. Her fondest memories weren’t just the big grandstands or star players but also the large umbrella she got from the merchandise tent, one with a big American flag, stars and the club’s iconic logo on it.
“This umbrella was like bigger than I was,” Creamer recalled, “but I think we actually ended up having to throw it away a couple years ago because it was not looking so good anymore.”
She’ll get a chance to replace it next month after the USGA announced Monday that it had extended Creamer a special exemption to play in the 76th U.