Team USA's fist pumper excited
If you don't notice Christina Kim during the 2009 Solheim Cup, well, you're not really trying.
She's the U.S. team's unofficial cheerleader, protector and overall pumper-upper, just ask anyone who attended the 2005 Cup at Crooked Stick, where they're still talking about how she stirred the crowd there into a near frenzy.
Kim's famous for fist pumps, fist bumps, high-fives and the occasional scream on the course. In other words, she's not afraid to shake things up.
"I'm the type of person that I use my emotions to expel any negative energy so I'm not shaking like a leaf standing over a 7-foot putt," she said. "That's how I process things; I take everything that comes at me and I release it the way that I do and turn everything into positive energy."
Expect more of the same at the 2009 Cup.
"It's going to be ridiculous (during Solheim week)," Kim said, "that's all I can say."
Who better then to ask for her take on the U.S. team than the outgoing 25-year-old Californian?
Here are the bios of each of the 12 U.S. players with Kim's unique take on each:
Paula Creamer
From: California
Age: 23
Years on U.S. Team: 3
Solheim Cup record: 5-1-4
Of note: As a five-year LPGA Tour member, the Pink Panther has competed on every U.S. Solheim Cup team for which she has been eligible. Her 70 percent winning average matches Dottie Pepper's (13-5-2) as the highest in U.S. team history among members with two or more team appearances. No wins on Tour this season, but she has eight top-10 finishes and nearly $900,000 in earnings.
Kim's take: "She's a treasure. We hold her dearly. She's fierce ... like a gladiator."
Cristie Kerr
From: Florida
Age: 31
Years on U.S. Team: 5
Solheim Cup record: 7-9-1
Of note: In the middle of her 13th year on the LPGA Tour, Kerr, 31, is arguably in her prime as a pro. This season - thanks to one victory and 10 additional top-10 finishes - Kerr holds the top spot on the LPGA money list, marking the sixth consecutive year she has surpassed $1 million in earnings.
Kim's take: "She's like the silent assassin. She's like John Wayne. She comes into town, she rolls in and she leaves a wake of bodies as she calmly goes right through."
Angela Stanford
From: Texas
Age: 31
Years on U.S. Team: 3
Solheim Cup record: 2-2-0
Of note: When the 2009 points race got under way, the 31-year-old Stanford was determined to solidify her place on the team early. Starting with her win at the 2008 Bell Micro LPGA Classic, Stanford found her groove, carding nine top-20 finishes in 2008 and won the season-opening 2009 SBS Open.
Kim's take: "She's our girl from Texas. She's the apple pie of team, all-American. An absolute diamond."
Nicole Castrale
From: California
Age: 30
Years on U.S. Team: 2
Solheim Cup record: 2-2-0
Of note: Despite not winning since 2007, Castrale's record of top 10 finishes speaks for itself and has grown with more than 10 in the past two years. She has also crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings with a tie for 17th at the U.S. Women's Open. Walking every step with Castrale is her husband, Craig, who will be making his second Solheim Cup appearance as her caddie.
Kim's take: "She's a warrior. She will never, ever give up. She wears her heart on her sleeve. She's an inspiration."
Brittany Lang
From: Texas
Age: 23
Years on U.S. Team: Rookie
Solheim Cup record: N/A
Of note: Lang is one of three rookies on the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup team. Although only an LPGA Tour member since 2006, Lang's performance in the past two years moved her up the points list into seventh. Lang has recorded more than 20 top-20 finishes since qualifying began for the 2009 Solheim Cup. Her brother, Luke, will join her on the course as her caddie.
Kim's take: "She's our girl. She's one of the rookies that's going to turn a lot of heads. People are going to be so impressed with her."
Morgan Pressel
From: Florida
Age: 21
Years on U.S. Team: 2
Solheim Cup record: 1-2-1
Of note: In 2007, Pressel was the youngest player on the U.S. squad, but the experience she brings to the team this year should go a long way. This year, at 21-years-old, she is the youngest player to automatically qualify for the 2009 U.S. team. Pressel has two career victories on her resume. Two years ago, she became a Rolex First-Time winner at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, a major championship. Last year, she won the Kapalua LPGA Classic.
Kim's take: "Morgan is our firecracker. She's going to be the spark that helps ignite this team, without a doubt."
Kristy McPherson
From: South Carolina
Age: 28
Years on U.S. Team: Rookie
Solheim Cup record: N/A
Of note: This three-year LPGA Tour player from South Carolina is making her Solheim Cup debut. She is enjoying the best season of her career in 2009, with four top-10 finishes, including two career-best runner-up finishes at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the Wegmans LPGA.
Kim's take: "K-Mac. She's an incredibly kind-hearted, fun-loving girl that will make you crack up. Any time you're feeling bad, she'll always make you feel better."
Christina Kim
From: California
Age: 25
Years on U.S. Team: 2
Solheim Cup record: 2-1-1
Of note: Kim returns to the Solheim Cup this season after narrowly missing out in 2007. Remembered for pumping up the crowd at Crooked Stick in 2005, Kim is a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour. She finished tied for third at the 2009 RICOH Women's British Open and seventh at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Kim's take: "I'm the howler monkey ... in a positive way. I'm going to sit there in the trees screeching bloody hell and throwing stuff at people. I'll be hard to catch."
Brittany Lincicome
From: Florida
Age: 23
Years on U.S. Team: 2
Solheim Cup record: 0-2-1
Of note: Lincicome has three career victories, including this year's Kraft Nabisco Championship. In her fifth season on the LPGA Tour, Lincicome has more than $2.5 million in career earnings. This season, in addition to her first major championship win, Lincicome finished in the top-10 three other times.
Kim's take: "Bam-Bam, that's her nickname. She's just pure excitement and energy."
Natalie Gulbis
From: Nevada
Age: 26
Years on U.S. Team: 3
Solheim Cup record: 4-3-0
Of note: This season, Gulbis has finished in the top-20 four times, including a pair of top 10s at the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill (T7) and the SBS Open at Turtle Bay (T10). She has one career victory on the LPGA Tour at the 2007 Evian Masters, where she defeated Jeong Jang in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff. She has just over $3.8 million in career earnings since joining the LPGA Tour in 2002.
Kim's take: "I've told her before she's ethereal. She's like an angel, she really, really is. She has got the biggest heart in the entire world, one of the most giving people and she has this incredible energy that makes you feel like you can take anything on that comes your way."
Juli Inkster
From: California
Age: 49
Years on U.S. Team: 8
Solheim Cup record: 6-1-0
Of note: Inkster, the only American who is an active member of the LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame, is a 2009 captain's pick and, at 49 years old, 1 month, 28 days, surpasses Beth Daniel as the oldest competitor in the event's history. On the LPGA Tour, she has 31 career victories and has earned more than $12.6 million.
Kim's take: "Julie is our matriarch. She comes with the experience that this team definitely needs. She'll lead the way with a lot of the younger players."
Michelle Wie
From: Hawaii
Age: 20
Years on U.S. Team: Rookie
Solheim Cup record: N/A
Of note: The first LPGA Tour rookie to qualify for the U.S. Solheim Cup team since Paula Creamer in 2005, Michelle Wie used the strength of five top-10 finishes to earn her way on as a captain's pick. During her amateur career, she was the youngest USGA champion in an adult event when she won the 2003 USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship at the age of 13. This season, Wie has carded 65 percent of her rounds under par and averages 267 yards off the tee.
Kim's take: "She's our little Bohemian. She's a free spirit. It's unbelievable how remarkable a human being she is. She's my baby sister and I love her to death and I will firmly defend her like a mama bear."