Brittany Lincicome will have some long second shots at this week's Barbasol Championship in Nicholasville, Kentucky. What she won't have is second thoughts about testing her abilities on the PGA Tour.
Lincicome is only the sixth woman to compete in a PGA Tour event, following in the footsteps of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Shirley Spork, Annika Sorenstam, Suzy Whaley and Michelle Wie. (Zaharias and Wie played multiple times against men, while Spork, Sorenstam and Whaley each did it once.) When Lincicome was deliberating about accepting a sponsor exemption to join this select group, she fretted about the reaction but has been pleasantly surprised.
"It's been a dream come true to be honest," Lincicome said. "I was so worried in the beginning when I was talking to my agent about accepting the opportunity. I was worried about people on social media thinking I was doing it for the wrong reasons or sending me their two cents. I thought I was going to have to block a lot of people. I have not had to block one person. Everybody has been great, encouraging and wishing me luck."
Sorenstam, a Hall of Famer for whom her appearance at the 2003 Colonial remains a fond memory, is one of those supporters.
"I think it's positive for women, and I wish her the best," Sorenstam said. "I just want her to have fun and enjoy the experience. It's not my place to say what would be a successful week in her mind. She just needs to play her game, stick to her routines and have fun."
That is exactly how Lincicome -- one of the LPGA's longer hitters as well as one of its most laid-back members -- is trying to approach the experience. She has represented Perio, Inc., the parent company of the Barbasol brand, since 2009.
"I want to have fun," she said. "If I make the cut, it's an added bonus. I definitely want to go and shoot a good score and not totally embarrass myself. Whatever happens, happens."
An eight-time winner in her LPGA career, including two major titles, Lincicome, 32, could be as well suited to playing in a men's event as any woman who has tested the waters. No woman has made the cut at a PGA event since Zaharias did it in 1945.
She is no stranger to competing against males, having done so in her formative years in junior golf and when on the boys' golf team at Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida. "The boys on my team loved me because I played No. 1 and helped them win," Lincicome said. "But some of the other boys, when I showed up, weren't too happy."
More recently, Lincicome has competed in mini-tour events in the St. Petersburg-Tampa area to keep her game sharp in the offseason. Having moved to Pasadena Yacht & Country Club in Gulfport, Florida, last November, she has a regular Friday game with Fielding Brewbaker, an assistant professional at the club.
"When the back tee is not all the way back, he's like, 'No, no, no, we're going all the way back,'" she said. "We really play from the tips. Last Friday, I made four birdies and shot a couple under. I honestly believe it helps my game and makes me play better. It's cool to go out and play with the guys. Obviously, they hit the ball far, but [I] love watching their chipping. Their hands are so quick, and they can spin the ball so much better. I'm always trying to learn how to spin the ball more."
Lincicome recently played Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, from the back tees and hit her 3-hybrid on eight approach shots of about 220 yards. She is prepared to use it a lot at Keene Trace Golf Club, a par 72 of 7,328 yards. One of the most memorable shots of her career was with a hybrid on the 72nd hole of the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship, a wonderful shot to 3 feet that set up a winning eagle.
"It's not my favorite club," Lincicome said, "but I'm going to have to reflect back to that day when I hit that great hybrid and tell myself it's one of my favorite clubs. I'll probably miss a few more greens, but that's all right. I'll have to scramble."
With a driving distance of 269.5 yards in 2018, Lincicome is ranked 10th on the LPGA, but her average is well short of the PGA Tour average driving distance of 295.2 yards. She knows she will feel more like some of the shorter hitters on the LPGA when they are grouped with her. "When they're hitting woods and I'm hitting wedges," Lincicome says of some of her LPGA pairings. "That might be what's going to be happening to me this week. I'll probably be hitting first, which isn't normal."
A lot won't be normal, which is the point for women who challenge themselves in an extraordinary way.
"Colonial was exactly what I needed to motivate myself," Sorenstam said. "I had been No. 1 for a while, and I was simply looking to challenge myself and get better. I have never been as nervous on a golf course as I was on the first tee shot. It was never about me trying to say I'm as good as the guys or anything like that. It was simply a personal challenge and I played some of the best golf of my career in the years following. To this day, I consider Colonial one of the highlights of my career. It may sound funny since I missed the cut, but the journey was something I'll never forget. I pushed myself in the gym and course like never before. I said yes to a challenge, which also equates to business and life decisions, and if I hadn't I'd still be thinking, 'why didn't I give it a shot?' I'm glad Brittany is, too."
Wie, who competed in eight PGA Tour events from 2004 to 2008, one more than Zaharias played from 1935 to 1946, looks back fondly on those forays despite not yearning for another turn.
"I learned so much playing with the guys, and it's definitely a unique experience," Wie said. "'Never' is a strong word, but I'd probably say I wouldn't want to do it again. I think that she's someone who can compete with them. She hits it really far. She has the right mindset for it, where she doesn't let things bother her and get to her. So I think she's going to have a blast."
Even before she arrived in Kentucky for her brave new world, Lincicome met a few junior girl golfers who told her they are inspired by what she is attempting.
"For sure, that's part of the motivation," Lincicome said, "influencing girls to get into golf, showcasing the LPGA talent. Maybe some viewers who normally don't watch the LPGA will watch me this week. The girls are equally good as men; we just don't hit it quite as far. We're going to have a fun time. That's all I want to do."
