Paula Creamer defied the odds to win her first major trophy at the 65th U.S. Women's Open on Sunday after recovering from a career-threatening thumb injury. The 23-year-old American thought she would never play golf again after aggravating her injured left thumb while playing in the season-ending LPGA Championship in Houston last year. The win at Oakmont Country Club is even more impressive given that Creamer had surgery as recently as March and had to play through the pain in her thumb during the final day, when she played 23 holes due to earlier rain delays. "You don't have surgery on your thumb and win a championship," she told reporters, quoted on the U.S.G.A. website. "I don't think the odds are very good after that. "I had my surgery, and yes, there was a time before my surgery where I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I may never play golf again' or, you know, if the surgery goes wrong. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/golf/07/12/paula.creamer.us.open/?fbid=T8ldDyiYlfK
