Paula Creamer is clearly excited to be in China for a first time having arrived on the tropical island of Hainan for the 2016 Mission HIlls World Celebrity Pro-Am.

The 2010 U.S. Women’s Open champion spent Thursday morning familiarising herself with the award-winning Blackstone Course and the entire Mission Hills Haikou resort.  “It’s bigger and better than I expected,” the 30-year-old said.

Paula Creamer and her husband Derek

“I’ve heard from some of the girls who have played here before what to expect and this is definitely exceeding all of that,” added Creamer, a 10-time LPGA Tour winner.  “It’s a really great place and the people here are just so nice and helpful.  Not only is this a golf tournament, it’s kind of like a mini-vacation as well.”

Fellow American golfer Natalie Gulbis has previously competed in China’s capital, Beijing, but, like Creamer, is making her inaugural trip to Mission Hills. “I’ve heard so much about this place from the likes of Annika [Sorenstam] and Suzann [Pettersen] and I’ve been taking lots of pictures,” said the 2007 Evian Masters champion.  “Yesterday we got to go to the mineral springs – that was really cool.”

Both Gulbis and Creamer compared Hainan Island to the American state of Hawaii. “I love this kind of warm, humid weather, it’s really good for golfers,” said Gulbis.  While Creamer added:  “My husband and I said when we landed and were walking through the airport, it definitely has that Hawaiian feel for sure.”