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Golf

Lincicome enjoys LPGA Tour life

By DAVE THEALL
Published May 13, 2006

Brittany Lincicome, 20, an emerging star from Seminole on the LPGA Tour, was tracked down earlier this week en route to the Michelob Ultra Open in Kingsmill, Va.

She was coming off her second top-10 finish of the year at the Franklin American Mortgage Championship in Tennessee where she earned $20,245 to push her year's total to $124,813 in eight tournaments. Last year, as a rookie on the tour, Lincicome won $127,452 in 20 events.

You have moved up to 24th on the money list this year after finishing 72nd last year. How come?

I'm not hooking off the tee and overall playing better after working hard with my instructor, Matt Mitchell, in the off season. Now I'm hitting my approach shots from the fairway. That takes a lot of stress out of the situation.

You shot a career-best 7-under 65 in Las Vegas last month. What's your goal now?

64.

You birdied the final hole at last week's tournament in Franklin, Tenn., to finish 13 under. How did play out?

It was a 452-yard par-5 in which I had 182 yards in (after driving) since I didn't get much roll with the wet conditions. I hit a 5-iron to within 12 feet then missed the eagle putt because I read it wrong.

Overall, aren't you putting much better this year?

It's getting there.

How do you decide when to be aggressive and when to play it safe?

I'm learning, in part from my friend Natalie Gulbis, that there are many situations when it's better to just go for the middle of the green, take your par, and move on the the next tee.

Are you looking forward to this weekend's tournament in Williamsburg?

Yes, it's a fun tournament with fireworks, Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg.

What are your goals for the '06 season?

They were to finish among the top 40. But now it's to finish top 20.

Are you having fun on tour?

Big time.

MORE LPGA TOUR: Clearwater's Jenny Gleason shot opening rounds of 1-under 71 the first two days of the Franklin Championship to enable her to play on the weekend. She closed with rounds of 76-79 for a 9-over 297 to earn a share of the prize purse. Gleason, who has conditional status on the tour, said that because of the extremely wet conditions, the course was playing closer to 6,800.

"I was exhausted in that tournament," Gleason said. "I'm not used to playing four rounds. But I made the cut and learned a lot. And next weekend I'm in the Sybase Classic in New Rochelle, N.Y. That's where I played my first LPGA event last year."

Dennis Cuff and Tony Simon of East Lake had the low two-man team score of 59. Low pros were Jim Slattery, Belleair, 71; Chuck Eade, Belleview Biltmore, 73; and Jeff Anderson, 74.

The low net teams were Florida Auto Exchange, Mease Manor and the Toronto/Dunedin Blue Jays, headed by team captain Ken Carson.

The annual fundraiser, headed by Warren Wylie, has contributed more than $140,000 to local charities, community projects and scholarships over the years.

Justin Foster, a freshman at Dunedin High, became the club's youngest champion when he captured the title last month over finalist Charlie Lane, 3 and 2. En route to the finals, Foster, 14, defeated both former champion Tom Percival and Mike Oglivie on the 18th hole.

Barb Lehr won the women's title over Sallie Abraham, 3 and 2.

They won the Senior Championship with an 8-under 64 highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 10th hole. Kevin Andress teamed with Bob Codere to win the Regular Championship with 71.

Net honors went to the team of John Erickson and Roy Nelson with 60.

WEST COAST WOMEN: Debbie Mook Sang carded a 4-over 76 taking the title at the May 5 match at Tara Golf Club in Bradenton. Sisi Hedges of Eaglebrooke shot 78. The overall net winner (71) was Vickie Stafford of Cypress Run.

COLLEGE: Mike Barbosa, who graduated with honors from Georgia Tech on Saturday, will play in the NCAA Central Regional in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 18-20. The top 10 teams advance to the Championship.

JUNIORS: Zach Sobel, a freshman at Palm Harbor University, won the boys 14-15 age division of the Greater Tampa Junior Association's annual Tournament of Champions last weekend at Sun City. He opened with a 2-under 70 and closed with a 75 for 145 and the title. A four-time winner on the junior tour last season, Sobel has been waived into the State Junior Championship by the FSGA. He doesn't have to qualify.

In other divisions of the GTJGA tournament, Taylor Hancock of Clearwater closed with a 5-under 67 to win the 12-13 division with 142. That was three strokes better than runnerup M.J. Maguire of St. Petersburg.

Logan Blondell of Tampa captured first, 16-18, with 139 (69-70).

Among girls 13-15, Ryan Ashburn (Northside Christian) finished fifth with scores of 84-78-162.

[Last modified May 13, 2006, 02:30:25]