PURE SILK BAHAMAS CHAMPION INTERVIEW January 28, 2018 BRITTANY LINCICOME -12 Q. You started the week in the media center and when you end the week in the media center it's usually a pretty good sign. Defending champion, you came here and won again. What does this mean to you? BRITTANY LINCICOME: It's pretty incredible. You know, I've never defended before and it's something that I always wanted to do. It was totally on my bucket list and to be sitting in here with you guys again is pretty incredible. The conditions were pretty rough out there and you just kinda had to stay patient and have some fun with it. There wasn't a lot you could do, and my putter was incredible all week, I made so many good putts, so many good par saves and good birdies coming down the stretch which really proved a lot to myself I think today playing 27 holes. Obviously I missed my nap today! And then to birdie a couple of holes down the stretch, that's pretty incredible. Q. Can you take us through the last three holes as the sun was going down? BRITTANY LINCICOME: We were pretty determined that we were going to finish. We got to 16th tee and we had to wait 25 minutes just to hit the tee shot. And by the time we were done with the hole, it took about 44 minutes, to be exact. So that waiting, especially on that hole, I swear that hole is about 600 yards, and where that pin is was not easy and I think last year I actually got up and down or made a huge putt on that hole as well. Maybe it's just a lucky hole for me, but it's a very intimidating hole when you are standing up there. Obviously 17 we're all just trying to hit the green. It's a very scary green, it's getting dark, and once I made birdie there I thought we were definitely playing 18. I felt like I had a stroke or two to mess with, but I obviously didn't know. There wasn't very many leaderboards out there, but then when I got to the green, obviously I felt a little bit more comfortable. My caddie laid me up to a very uncomfortable yardage in a divot no less. Never a dull moment on the golf course for sure. Q. What does it mean to win at the Pure Silk? BRITTANY LINCICOME: Pretty incredible. I teared up on the green when I talked about Tom Murray and his family. They're just incredible people, and we are so honored to have them on the LPGA Tour and to be sponsors of mine, and I was their first girl that signed, which is pretty incredible, so to win the event twice, and for them to be with me. I've seen them all week. We've had dinner together, and just their family and what they do for women's golf is pretty incredible. Q. Did it allow you to relax more because you were rushing? You weren't able to think about what was going on because you were trying to get in before dark? BRITTANY LINCICOME: True. Like I said, I didn't see a leaderboard so I was kind of praying 1
that my competition was just in the group with me, so I knew if I kept up with them I was going to be okay. Then when I birdied 17 it was free reign, there was no way we weren't playing 18. When we had a little bit of daylight, you saw us running, which I don't run. I was trying to run off the tee to get to the fairway as quickly as possible to hit the shots as quickly as possible, so it was probably a really good distraction, you're right. Q. Can you talk about playing in the dark and what that was like on the green and have you ever done anything like that before? BRITTANY LINCICOME: No, it was a little bit dark, was it yesterday, when we finished? But not like today. They had the light out there but it was on the wrong side of the hole. It needed to be on the other side, but I think the hardest shot of all of them was that little wedge shot that I had, because it was in a divot, and I just wasn't sure -- you can chunk it easily, you can blade it, the pin looked like it was two on, so it didn't look like I had a lot of green to mess with and I was definitely going left of the pin, so that was the hardest shot of the day for me was that little wedge shot, which should be a pretty straightforward shot but it was pretty dark. Q. You mentioned earlier in the week that Missy pointed out some things that you needed to work on. Did today make a difference? BRITTANY LINCICOME: Absolutely. Today for sure proved that because I had to hit my 100-yard wedge shot about 85 yards I think twice today which is a super hard shot. It's a little shot and you have to flight it, and I hit both of them spectacular and made birdie, I think, so I'm going to listen her. Don't tell her, but I should start listening to her. She'll help me. Q. How do you think you might parlay a win this year to keep your momentum going compared to last year? BRITTANY LINCICOME: I don't know what happened last year I felt like my game was pretty awesome. My putting, especially this week has been incredible. There is no reason why it can't keep going. We have a couple-week break here, which is unfortunate but I'm determined to keep it going this year and keep the streak going and obviously the few extra wedge shots theta Missy is telling me I need to work on I will keep working on those these off-weeks, and she mentioned I needed to lift my hands a little bit with the putter to "sole" it better so the ball rolled more pure, so work on those things next couple of weeks when I'm home. And I think it's a fight and hunger to want to keep doing better and keep climbing the leaderboard, and I'm going to be more consistent, I'm going to tell myself every week I want to be more consistent. Q. Do you have that fight? Do you have that hunger? BRITTANY LINCICOME: Right now I do. Now I'm, like, ready to go! What events can I play in next week? Yeah, I do. Obviously my husband and I want to start a family here soon, and I don't want to play forever. I would like to be home and raise my kids, so now is the time to kinda get after it and push myself to want to be better and, you know, get more wins. I would love to win multiple times in one season, I would love to win the U.S. Open. There are a lot of things I want to do before I retire. Q. Eight wins and -- (Away from mic.) BRITTANY LINCICOME: It's not bad, for a 19-year-old kid who wasn't sure if I should turn pro 2
back in the day or go to college. It's pretty incredible. BRITTANY LINCICOME: Then I, like, bawled. He's just super excited. He was amazed at how great I played today. Not amazed but was just proud of the way I played especially coming down the stretch. He was just telling me great job, you played so amazing, obviously, that he loved me and I can't wait to get home tomorrow. BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yes! I might pull an all-nighter. Q. Have you been to the casino? BRITTANY LINCICOME: I'm like on cloud nine! Definitely got to get dinner first, then who knows? I should probably get the shaving cream out of my hair. Q. Were you aware of the lead changes that were happening throughout the day? BRITTANY LINCICOME: No, other than the ones in my group. Like I said, I was just trying to keep up with the girls in my group, and there wasn't very many leaderboards out there, that I can recall, so for me personally that's a great thing. For other girls and my caddie, she's probably like, I wonder where we stand? For some reason caddies always know where their player stands. So for me it was great. I was trying to keep up with the two great players in my group, and they were making birdies, so I was having to make birdies and it was a pretty fun day. Q. At Diamond Resorts, you just played there. Did you have any idea in a few weeks you might be ready to win this event? BRITTANY LINCICOME: No! We did the Emoji Challenge the other day and I'm pretty sure my Emoji was an Ewww face. Diamond Resorts is great because it's competition and gets you in competition mode, obviously that five-footer means something and you have to make it. You're still trying to be super aggressive and birdie every hole. I didn't feel like my game -- my game on the weekend was better. I felt like the first round I kind of shot myself out of it, but I didn't think it was this good, I guess. My putter this week was fantastic. Q. Congratulations! BRITTANY LINCICOME: Thank you. Q. You mentioned that your husband (Away from mic.) BRITTANY LINCICOME: I wish. Unfortunately my mom is with me this week, so that's not going to happen! (Laughter.) Q. Again, I'm happy that you won. I saw you on the first day looking upset. I saw you today and you looked happy and things going good. What would you say today was the difference between the first day? BRITTANY LINCICOME: I was just trying to keep a smile on my face pretty much all day. 3
Obviously the wind was strong the last couple of days so that was probably why I didn't always have a smile on my face. Just today it was one shot at a time, stay patient and not try to take it too seriously and just have some fun and my group today we had a fun time. We had a great time. Q. Is this your first back- to-back championship? BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yes, first time defending, yep. BRITTANY LINCICOME: It's a good place. Q. First, having players rate how hard was the wind the first few days? What you rate it? They said 8. BRITTANY LINCICOME: They only said 8? It was pretty strong. We were adding 30 yards on some shots into the wind. It's just -- again, you hit it and you pray that you picked the right club or you judged it properly, and if it didn't, I felt myself not getting mad this week, and then I would make a 10- or 15-footer to save par, and then you're like, okay, good thing I didn't get mad. There is something to keeping your emotions in check when you hit a bad check and taking it for what it's worth, but I think the wind was definitely 8 if not 9 and last year during the playoffs it was raining a little bit, so I think last year it was worse. Q. Really? BRITTANY LINCICOME: I think so. Well, the playoff anyway. Q. Being an International Crown year, are there certain things (inaudible) in order to make that team? BRITTANY LINCICOME: Absolutely. I think being more consistent and trying to stay around the top-10 every week will help me get into that event. I think my goals are working my way to get into those events to possibly win majors this year, and doing what I'm doing will pay off, I think. Q. Coming off a Solheim Cup year, what value does being on the International Crown team have for you? BRITTANY LINCICOME: I think it would be incredible. I love match play. I love being aggressive and going for the par 5s in two, and we don't get to play many match play events so I'm definitely itching to make the team and to have one more match play tournament under my belt, for sure. Q. The way you played this week it looks like you could be well on your way to Korea later in the year. BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah! I love Korea. Q. Back-to-back Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic Champion, 8th career win. Congratulations. 4
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Thank you very much. 5