2005 Solheim Cup

On Sunday, all the players from both teams participated in singles. The American rookies were once again given important positions: all three went out early, and all three would come through. Paula Creamer in particular rose to the occasion. Paired against Laura Davies in an early match, she overwhelmed her, making birdie after birdie and quickly vaulting out to a large lead. Davies is a player who plays her best when she gets momentum going; she can often start to rush things and become detached when things don't go her way. Creamer took advantage and ended up crushing her 7-5. The Americans had drawn first blood.

Christina played in the fifth match of the day, once again taking on Ludivine Kreutz (who was doubtless glad to see the last of Christina for a while after this day ended!). Christina quickly got out to a two up lead, while Kreutz struggled to make par. As she had previously, Christina whipped the crowd up, talking to her ball, cheering after great shots, and generally making mayhem. By this point, the Americans were adding more points all over the course, and Christina's lead added to the sea of American flags on the leaderboard. Laura Diaz won her match against Iben Tinning in a rout, and Juli Inkster, who played first among the Americans, handed Sophie Gustafson a 2 & 1 defeat. America now had an 11-8 lead.

Christina was mildly bemused by her success Sunday

Christina kept the fans pumped during her singles match

Christina kept up the pressure on her rookie opponent, and Kreutz was never able to get comfortable all day. Kim finally put her away on the 14th green, winning a comfortable 5 & 4 victory that was never really in doubt. This moved the Americans to 12-8, only 2 1/2 points away from retaking the cup.

Shortly thereafter, Pat Hurst beat her opponent, Trish Johnson, to move America to a 13-8 lead. The Euros finally won their first point when Annika Sorenstam beat Beth Daniel 4 & 3, but when the third American rookie, Natalie Gulbis, won her match over Maria Hjorth 3 & 1 moments later, America had all but sealed the deal. It took longer than expected to get that final half point, but eventually, Meg Mallon put away Karen Stupples, and the USA had won back the Solheim Cup.

In the aftermath of the competition, the three American rookies gained most of the accolades for their brilliant play and energizing effect. Christina was probably the fan favorite for the week. One article quoted Nancy Lopez as saying, "She's a firecracker, I just love her. She gets everybody fired up. The team loves her.'' Everywhere she went all week, she was feeling the love from the fans. Even the media realized what she had done in achieving a 2-1-1 record while energizing the home fans: she was featured in multiple articles and even appeared on the cover of GolfWorld magazine.

GolfWorld magazine acknowledged Christina's role in
the win by putting her on the cover of their magazine

Christina shows her true colors following the American victory