Brittany Lincicome
Not only does she drive the ball a mile, she’s got heart 

By Susanne Kemper

Winning her first Major—the 2009 Kraft Nabisco at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, Calif.—in a blaze of shot making was typical Brittany Lincicome. Her style is hitting big shots to win big events, just as she has done since her star-studded years in junior golf. Her eagle on the devilish 18th hole gave her the win over Kristy McPherson, who had been leading by a stroke. But it was the previous shot—a hybrid blast from 210 yards out that landed five feet from the cup—that was voted the LPGA’s Best Shot of 2009.

Twenty-four-year-old Lincicome is fun loving, friendly and open with a big smile. She’s an all-American girl and a great role model for The First Tee kids that she supports devotedly. Tall with long blonde hair and dangling Dior earrings, Lincicome is hard to miss on the course. You won’t miss her 270-plus-yard drives, either.  She is a big hitter.

Since winning her first golf tournament at age nine, Lincicome has honed her skills. She turned professional in late 2004 after tying for 20th at LPGA Q School to get on the 2005 Tour. In 2006, she became a Rolex First Time Winner with her victory in the HSBC Match Play Championship, where she won six consecutive matches from her 39th  seeded position to take the lead. She beat Michelle Wie in the quarterfinals, Lorena Ochoa in the semis and won 3 and 2 over Juli Inkster in the final.

In 2007 Lincicome won again, at the Ginn Open, by overcoming Lorena Ochoa on the last hole. She qualified for the 2007 Solheim Cup at Halmstad Golf Club in Sweden where the U.S. team overcame a deficit with great singles play to win the Cup abroad for the first time since 1996. At the time Lincicome enthused, “I loved playing for my country, loved the team spirit and event.”

She called the 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms, Ill., another highlight of her career.  “I was nervous, proud, happy, joyful and ultimately relieved,” she said. “It is an amazing experience to be a part of a team and to be able to win.”

Lincicome loves Rancho Mirage, calling it  “a beautiful area with lots of nice cars—all those Ferraris and Lamborghinis.” When she returns as defending champion of the Kraft Nabisco this year, she and two other players will rent the same house they had last year.

Lincicome started playing golf as a little girl with her father and older brothers at a night-lit par-3 course in her home state of Florida.  Close to her family, her victory at last year’s Kraft Nabisco was even sweeter because her father was there to see her win that first major—and make the traditional splash in the pond. She sees the Mission Hills course as one that suits her game well.

“The Dinah Shore course is long and sets up well for my game,” she says. “The greens are fast and good. Just what I like.”

The 5’10” Lincicome still refers to herself as the little girl from Seminole, Fla. When she’s not on the golf course she can be seen cruising around town in her big black Lincoln truck with 24” rims and a mega sound system.  It fits her lifestyle and she loves it. No Ferrari for her yet.

Boating and fishing are among her passions, especially power boating. Her biggest catch so far is a 20-pound grouper, but she prefers fresh-water to deep-sea fishing and typically goes after catfish and ladyfish. Fishing companions include her mom and friends from the Tour, frequently Angela Stanford and Kristy McPherson. 

“Sailing is too much work but if someone invites me I’ll always go along for the sail,” she laughs.

She also likes to spend time with “Bunker,” her four-year-old, 100-pound Rottweiler. Unfortunately he is too big to travel with her. When the holidays roll around, she’s often in West Virginia visiting her grandmother and spending time with her two brothers.

Down-to-earth, Lincicome is usually dressed casually in jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops, but she does love a little pampering in the form of French manicures and pedicures. While her trademark Dior earrings are mostly for playing golf, she gives the nod to a few names in the fashion world, including Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton and Coach. As for shoes, it’s Steve Madden and four-inch stiletto heels.

Sounding more like a teenager than a champion golfer, Lincicome says, “My favorite time of the day is sleep.”  She adds that she’s usually in bed by 8:30 or 9 p.m. but loves to watch movies, especially comedies or “funky films” that make her laugh.
Her musical tastes run mostly to country—Keith Urban and other country singers are “in” and on her iPod—but she’s also a Beyoncé fan.

Success on the course has brought her into the off-course public spotlight on occasion, including being asked to throw out the first pitch at a Tampa Devil Rays game. 

“Throwing that pitch was really tough,” confessed Lincicome. “I was more nervous to throw from the mound than during my putt to win the Kraft Nabisco. I practiced pitching from an elevated mound.”

Fortunately, there are a number of baseball players at her gym and they gave her some helpful tips.   

Lincicome has also lent her voice and personality as a commentator with the Orlando Magic. But by far her biggest off-Tour work and passion is The First Tee, with which Lincicome has been associated since 2007. The First Tee is a nationwide organization that teaches golf, life skills and values to children who might not otherwise have access to playing the game.  As part of her efforts, Lincicome hosts the Brittany and Friends Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament, with all proceeds going to The First Tee of St. Petersburg, Fla.

“I just love the kids,” she said. “They're all very smart and very good golfers. We teach a lot of different things, including how to be respectful on and off the golf course. The First Tee wasn't around as much when I was growing up…it would have been nice, especially since I know how expensive it was in junior golf. My parents gave up everything to raise the money for me to do it. You'd hate to think that the next Tiger Woods is just sitting on the sidelines, not being able to play because his parents don’t have enough money.” 

Lincicome is also is a fervent supporter of breast cancer causes. Her paternal grandmother died of breast cancer several years ago. She supports an event headed up by fellow LPGA pro Christie Kerr, as well as several other tournaments dedicated to fundraising for the cause.

With a big smile, quick laugh and a big heart, Lincicome is a great role model. It’s her hope that she’ll be able to go on helping to nurture and develop more young golfers through The First Tee, and also to end up with another wish-come-true, “having enough money to just go fishing!”

Susanne Kemper is a contributing writer to Desert Golf Magazine