This job is a trip

I walked every round, competitive and practice, seven total. I had blisters on my feet after the first day. I joined her for the second day of a tournament in Virginia, where it was hilly and windy and the field played 36 holes on Sunday. I followed her through the first round of the next event in Atlanta, where it was hilly and hot.

 

By JOANNE KORTH
Published August 1, 2007

Best airport

Tampa International, arrivals. Because that means I'm home!

Worst airport

Jackson-Hartsfield International in Atlanta. No matter what terminal I fly into, my connection is always three terminals away and I have 13 minutes to get there.

Favorite sport to cover

NASCAR. The people are down to earth, approachable and liable to say just about anything. And the cars go really, really fast.

Favorite sport to watch

College football. The NFL is the best of the best, but college football is about devotion and emotion. And, it has marching bands.

One athlete I've never interviewed, but want to

Brett Favre.

Favorite event you've ever covered

Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. Lightning vs. Flames. Winner take all. The energy. The noise. The intensity. The drama. And Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk skating with the Cup after 22 years in the NHL.

When Seminole's Brittany Lincicome decided to skip college and play on the LPGA Tour as a 19-year-old rookie in 2005, we decided to write a week-in-the-life story.

Just like that, I was on the LPGA Tour.

It was the most challenging story of my career.

I walked every round, competitive and practice, seven total. I had blisters on my feet after the first day. I joined her for the second day of a tournament in Virginia, where it was hilly and windy and the field played 36 holes on Sunday. I followed her through the first round of the next event in Atlanta, where it was hilly and hot.

Along with a Times photographer, I spent nearly every waking minute with Lincicome, at and away from the golf course. She and her father, Tom, and her caddie drove from Richmond, Va., to Atlanta, so we drove, too. When they ate, we ate. We even watched TV with her. Needless to say, Lincicome was an extremely good sport to put up with us. Every time she turned around, there we were.

I filled notebook after notebook with the tiniest of details of Lincicome's day. I set my alarm clock for 5:30 a.m. - an unheard hour for most sports writers - and stayed up until 1 a.m. transcribing my notes into my laptop while the sights and sounds were fresh in my mind.

But the hard part was still to come. Back home, it took another week to sift through everything I'd seen to decide what to keep and what to cut out of the longest story I'd ever written.

I didn't get to hit a single golf ball, but it was a tremendous experience.

[Last modified July 31, 2007, 23:13:21]