Brittany Lincicome makes comparisons to golfing and fishing
During any given off-week on the LPGA Tour schedule, Brittany Lincicome can be found on her boat about 15 miles off Florida's West coast basking in the hot sun with a fishing pole in hand, anticipating her next big catch.
"Fishing is just so calming," Lincicome said. "You can go miles out into the ocean and feel like you're the only person in the world. The water is so blue, and it's so peaceful being that far away."
The Seminole, Fl. native says fishing was just a hobby she shared with her older brother as youngsters, venturing off to nearby creeks to catch turtles. Now at 27, Lincicome hooks fish as large as a 10-foot Hammerhead Shark or a 400-pound Goliath Grouper, both she trapped just a week before heading over to Asia for the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.
With just as many years of experience golfing, Licicome claims both sports are equally challenging and rewarding.
"They're both always changing and they're both always fun," Lincicome says. "With golf, it's always different. You can go out and shoot 65 and then the next day shoot 75 and feel like you didn't change anything in your game. I like golf because it's always changing, it's always different. And with fishing, you never know what you are going to catch."
She says her mental approach toward her favorite sports is echoed by the way she has faced the ups and downs of her LPGA career. As she nears the end of her fourth winless season as an LPGA Tour player, she says she reflects on each season and embraces each challenge she has faced.
"This year has been a little up and down," Lincicome said. "It's been more weeks down than it has been up, unfortunately. But as a package, the whole eight years, it's been absolutely incredible because it's always changing."
As an eight-year veteran on the LPGA Tour, Licicome has tallied more than 30 top-10 finishes including five victories and her first major championship title at the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Last year, she became one of four players to notch more than one victory in a single season with wins at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and the CN Canadian Women's Open, and was one of eight players to cross the $1 million mark in season earnings.
Considering her performance in the past, Lincicome is pleased with where she stands on the Tour.
"I would say (my career) has been pretty fantastic," Lincicome says. "Especially last year when I finished sixth on the money list, it was a pretty fantastic feeling. It was something I never thought I would be able to do because I don't typically consider myself a top-10 player. But obviously somewhere deep down I have the ability to do it, so I just have to pull that out more."
Riding on the heels of her most successful season yet, this year she has secured two runner-up finishes and three additional top-10s including her most recent tie for seventh at the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship. She ranks 21st in the Rolex Rankings and 26th in season earnings with $488,151. Although this season hasn't yielded the optimal results to Lincicome's standard, her past success leaves her feeling content while she waits for her next big catch.
"Winning doesn't get any easier but it's pretty incredible to say you have five wins," Lincicome said. "Some girls haven't even won once. So, I feel very blessed. It's an unbelievable feeling to be able to play golf and earn a living doing what I love most. It's been an incredible ride."