Golf

Playing for her country

By DAVE SCHEIBER, Times Staff Writer
Published September 13, 2007

Brittany Lincicome has good reason to smile. The Seminole resident is coming off her second straight stellar season since turning pro in 2005, having won her second LPGA tournament the Ginn Open in Orlando, logged four top-10 finishes and earned $828,724 in prize money. ¶ But best of all, Lincicome, who turns 22 Wednesday, comfortably qualified for her first Solheim Cup. She finished eighth on the list of 10 automatic spots for the biennial trans-Atlantic team match-play event, the most prestigious women's golf competition in the world, that begins Friday in Halmstad, Sweden. The United States leads the series 6-3, going 5-0 at home and 1-3 in Europe.We caught up with Lincicome when she returned to Pinellas County after her tie for 39th on Aug. 19 in the Canadian Women's Open.

So how big is the Solheim Cup for you?

I can't even tell you. Words don't even describe it. I've been trying since I was a little girl, trying to get on the Solheim Cup (junior) team. To finally competing in the Solheim Cup, representing your country, is phenomenal.

Did you find yourself daydreaming more and more about the possibility this season?

Kind of. I didn't want to get ahead of myself or put too much extra pressure on myself. So I just tried to play the way I knew how and to get some top 10s. If all else failed, I'd at least have a shot (at a captain's pick). ... So I had that in the back of my mind. But obviously I wanted to be in the top 10 so I didn't have to stress.

What have teammates told you to expect?

Well, it's kind of good and kind of bad. Pat Hurst tells me the gifts that we get are better than Christmas. We get so many things, free things, like a camera from Canon, which is sponsor. Sherri Steinhauer says I could possibly get physically ill on the first tee, just because of new nerves and you're representing your country, not just yourself. So many emotions going through on that first tee.'

I guess you can't know until you step out there.

Exactly, especially with it not being in the United States. And people over there not really rooting for us, so it'll be totally different.

Is it just a matter of getting past the early jitters?

Even just a normal tournament, it takes me 3-5 holes to relax and get things going. You'll have a partner there each day. We're not going to put rookies with rookies. ... You should be with a veteran player, so they'll hopefully talk you through it.

What were your highlights this season?

Obviously the win. Especially coming from so many back and to play so well. The weather (in Orlando) that week was really bad, especially that final day, so winning there is something I was proud of. Also, my driving and accuracy have each come a long way since my rookie year. So I'm just proud of myself to see all the hard work finally paying off, and going in the right direction.

What are your thoughts on the hot streak Lorena Ochoa is on?

Yeah, she just put her mind to it and has her whole country backing her. She's just phenomenal. She is the nicest person you'll ever meet in the world. A total sweetheart.'

Did you ever feel overshadowed by other young players in the past few years?

You know, I was just waiting for my chance, and obviously if you play well, you let the clubs do the talking for you. Just to get the couple of wins, I got a lot of recognition for that. That was nice, seeing my name in the papers. And the magazines. All the other high-ranked girls probably all take it for granted. Their parents probably don't save all the newspaper clippings like my parents do. It's just exciting. It's been stressful to get where we are, selling the house and moving to a new place (as a high school sophomore), changing schools just so I could play high school golf at Seminole.

Have you thought about what you want to buy with some of your tour earnings?

No, it's all invested really. Eventually I want to move out and get my own place, but I haven't really found anything I'm looking for. It has to be on the water. I have to be able to have a boat for fishing. I have to look into it a little bit more.

How big was your first win last season for you?

Obviously people always told me my first one would be the hardest and then I had people telling me, "Oh, your second one is even harder." I was like, "Oh great." But after I got the second win, it was just a relief to get it out of the way and just focus on different things. I took some lessons and obviously I was trying to fiddle with the golf swing a little bit, trying to get it to perfection. It's getting there. The follow-through needs to move about an inch. It's such a small amount but it's really tricky to figure out. But hopefully I will.

Dave Scheiber can be reached at scheiber@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8541.

[Last modified September 12, 2007, 21:49:55]