The dust is still settling from the LPGA’s first major of 2015, and if Sunday was any indication of what is in store for the Tour’s premier events this season, the association is destined for a huge year.

Brittany Lincicome’s thrilling win over Stacy Lewis on the third hole of sudden death at the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, Calif., capped a stellar week for the world’s best women’s professional golfers in luscious California. Lincicome’s par on the third extra hole earned her a second major championship crown and the right to take a second dip in Poppie’s Pond, but it is her eagle on the 72^nd hole of regulation that forced the playoff that people will remember for quite some time.

The Tour couldn’t have asked for a more compelling beginning to this year’s major championship slate, with past ANA Inspiration winner Morgan Pressel finishing third to complete an all-American trifecta at the top of the leaderboard. With Cristie Kerr’s victory the week before in Carlsbad, Calif., and defending champion Lexi Thompson finishing seventh on Sunday, the association’s U.S.-born players have effectively “answered the bell” after players born in the Republic of Korea reeled off six straight victories to begin the 2015 season.

Lewis had three putts to win the tournament with birdie putts of 15 feet or less, but could not curl one in the cup on the picturesque 18^th hole. For Lincicome, the victory ended a nearly four-year winless drought and left her shaking with emotion for quite some time after she earned the win.

It was great drama that played out on live television for a Tour that has been on a major upswing in recent years, a trend that shows no signs of slowing anytime soon.

This week, players get to take a breath, Lincicome gets to bask in the glow of another major triumph and the LPGA stars get to be golf fans themselves as they watch the men tee it up at The Masters. The LPGA and PGA Tour players have an endearing sibling-like bond, and this week is prime proof of that.

Social media posts from LPGA players about The Masters will appear often, and several of the ladies will enjoy some time at Augusta National in person as they take in the spectacle. It will be a fun week for everyone, but with another three-week stretch looming on the horizon, players no doubt will also work in some practice time in the coming days.

Next week, the Tour picks up again in lovely Hawaii, where Michelle Wie will defend her title at the LOTTE Championship Presented by Hershey in her home state. Wie ended a winless stretch of her own there last year in a storybook victory that ignited her magical summer, and she would love nothing more than to repeat as champion again this year.

Following that $1.8 million event, the Tour moves on to San Francisco for the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic Presented by CTBC, a second-year event that was a player favorite in 2014. A $2 million purse will be up for grabs at the 72-hole event, where world No. 1 Lydia Ko will try to defend her title from a year ago.

The Tour’s final event in the next three-pack is the $1.3 million Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC in Irving, Texas, where Lewis is the defending champion. The four-day event will take the LPGA into May and also mark the end of the first third of the 2015 season.

This year is clipping along at a frenzied pace, but this week, at least, LPGA players and fans can enjoy a little breather before another terrific trio of events.

LPGA has week off to reflect on season’s first major

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