FUTURES Tour Alum Provides Early Spark for U.S. Solheim Cup Team

CARMEL, Ind., September 10, 2005 -- U.S. Solheim Cup captain Nancy Lopez knew exactly what she was doing when she put the Americans' top sparkplug in the lead-off group this morning. Trailing 5-3 after Friday's opening rounds, the U.S. team needed a jumpstart, so Christina Kim gladly helped ignite the sell-out crowds on Day 2 of the 2005 Solheim Cup.

That strategy worked. Kim, a FUTURES Tour alum, clicked together the heels of her cherry-red, patent-leather golf shoes and helped propel the U.S. team to a 3-1 win in this morning's foursome (alternate shot) matches. That tied the Europeans 6-6 overall heading into the afternoon four-ball (best ball) matches. By afternoon, each side had won one match and halved two matches, knotting the match count at 8-8 going into Sunday's deciding singles.

"My team never gave up," said Lopez, serving as captain for the first time at the Solheim Cup. "These young players on my team are feisty. They're leading the group and listening to the veterans. I think they're all energized and I have total confidence in my team."

Kim and fellow Californian Natalie Gulbis had little trouble firing up galleries as they marched through Crooked Stick Golf Club. The Solheim rookies went head-to-head against the European's rookie duo from France, Gwladys Nocera and Ludivine Kreutz, both making their respective debut Solheim Cup appearance.

The Americans went 1-up after the second hole and never looked back, winning 4 & 2 for the first U.S. point of the day. And it came only after Kim, a demonstrative and highly excitable Korean-American, kicked her feet, leaped into the air and clicked her heels, pumped her fists, tossed her hat, and held her hands up to her ears to signal galleries to cheer for their home team. Cheerleader she was. Pacesetters she and Gulbis proved to be in the Hoosier state.

"There is nothing more inspiring for your team than watching the first match go out and come in on top," said Kim, who earned her LPGA Tour card through the FUTURES Tour in 2002. "To get that first point this morning was huge."

Rookie Paula Creamer finally earned a win in the second match with veteran Juli Inkster. The two Californians combined to win 3 & 2 over the big-hitting European duo of Laura Davies of Great Britain and Maria Hjorth of Sweden. While Kim and Gulbis were still high-fiving and pumping up the galleries around the 16th green, Inkster jammed in a seven-footer for birdie to seal a second match for the Americans. Breathless from her celebratory dance, the vet hugged the rookie and called their playing styles "complementary." Creamer, finally smiling, said the vet gave her tip on the 12th hole to swing more freely with her irons.

"She said I seemed to be guiding my irons and to just let it go," said Creamer, who was co-medalist at the 2005 FUTURES Tour Qualifying Tournament. "I hit some really good shots down the stretch and we needed that."

Swedes Sophie Gustafson and Carin Koch closed out the only morning match for the Europeans with a 5 & 3 win over Florida's Laura Diaz and Wendy Ward of Texas. But in perhaps the day's guttiest performance against World No. 1 Annika Sorenstam of Sweden and Scotland's Catriona Matthew, Californian Pat Hurst and last-minute substitute Michele Redman of Minneapolis cobbled out a 2-up win for the Americans. Redman got the early-morning knock on her door to sub in for Cristie Kerr of Miami, who woke up with a stiff neck.

"Nancy wanted me to play and that meant a lot," said Redman, a fourth-time Solheim Cupper who played on the FUTURES Tour from 1989-1991 after a collegiate career at Indiana University.

Redman and Hurst held a tenuous 1-up lead over the Europeans when they arrived at the 17th hole. Redman's tee shot on the par-three hole missed the green and flew into the right rough. Then Hurst's chip stopped 20 feet short of the hole, seemingly opening the door for the Europeans. But when Redman drained the tricky left-to-right 20-footer to save par, it must have been a deflating moment for her opponents. In an uncharacteristic blunder, Sorenstam pushed her tee shot into the water hazard off the 18th tee, setting up the final morning win for the Americans.

"We did it yesterday [morning]," said Catrin Nilsmark, captain of the European team. "America did it today."

But there was no wiggle room for either side in the afternoon four-ball matches. Competition was close with three of the four matches going to the 18th hole and setting up a dramatic finale right down to the final putt. The afternoon intensity was magnified when two of the last four Europeans' tee shots found the water on the Pete Dye course's treacherous signature water-bordered 18th hole.

"That might be one of the most difficult driving holes in all of golf," said veteran U.S. team member Beth Daniel of South Carolina. "You have to thread the needle there. You have to know what kind of tee shot you want to hit and pull it off."

Just as Sorenstam's tee shot found the water on the 18th in the morning matches, Suzann Pettersen of Norway pushed her shot into the hazard in the afternoon. So did Sweden's Carin Koch. But while the drivers betrayed players in the clutch, it was putting that made the most difference on the 18th hole this afternoon.

In the only afternoon match that didn't conclude in front of the Crooked Stick clubhouse, the pairing of Sorenstam and Davies took charge on their first hole against Hurst and Kim and never trailed. The European Solheim Cup stalwarts led by as much as 5-up, but the Californians won the 13th and 15th holes, taking the Europeans to the 16th where they closed out the match 4 & 2.

The first nail-biter at the 18th came when Americans Daniel and Inkster arrived at the final hole all-square. Denmark's Iben Tinning, paired with Great Britain's Trish Johnson, had an eight-foot birdie chance on the final hole to win the match for the Europeans. But Tinning, currently four months pregnant, pulled the putt to halve the match with the Americans.

"In match play, you always expect your opponent to make that putt," said Daniel. "Juli and I felt we should have closed that match out. I'm not happy with a halve. I guess they're not happy with the result, either."

The pairing of Pettersen and Sweden's Sophie Gustafson appeared a little deflated after Pettersen's tee shot sailed into the hazard on 18. The Europeans were all-square against Americans Meg Mallon and Rosie Jones with one hole to play. But Gustafson collected herself and stuck her approach shot to eight feet. Jones was first to putt and faced a seemingly impossible 40-footer over a ridge, which she drained. Gustafson matched the 18th-hole drama and sunk her eight-footer to halve the hole.

"We had the most awesome match I've ever played in Solheim Cup history," said seven-time Solheim Cup team member Jones of Atlanta, who played the FUTURES Tour in 1981-1982. "It was just back and forth, matching birdies. Glad it's over."

In the final afternoon match, Europe's Koch and Matthew saved par from seven feet on the 17th hole to stay in the match. American rookie Solheim Cuppers Creamer and Kerr, now back in the lineup, held a 1-up lead going into the final hole. When Creamer drained her five-footer for par, it gave the U.S. team the 1-up win and tied the two sides at 8-8.

"We still have our work cut out for us," said Daniel. "Usually, the first two days are like an exhibition match and then you have to go out and win your singles."

The last time the two sides were tied going into Sunday's singles was in 1994, at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. This year's Solheim Cup will be the only other time the two teams have been tied heading into the deciding singles. The Europeans have only won the singles matches three times in Solheim Cup history, dating back to their 1992 win in Dalmahoy in Scotland, their loss in 1998 at Murifield in Ohio, and their win in 2003 at Barseback in Sweden.

Sunday's 12 singles matches will begin at 8:05 a.m., to determine the final outcome of the ninth staging of the Solheim Cup. Europe is trying to defend the Cup and win for the first time on American soil. The U.S. team hopes to maintain its perfect winning record at home and regain the Cup until the next biennial staging in 2007 in Sweden.

Contact: Lisa D. Mickey, FUTURES Golf Tour, 863-709-9100, Ext. 2 or lisa@futurestour.com.
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