On maternity leave, Brittany Lincicome normally plays golf on Fridays. That is, until she received word that she’s in the field at the TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational.
Now she’s out on a Monday afternoon, sharpening her game for her first competitive round since giving birth to daughter Emery Reign Gouws in July.
“It has moments of brilliance and moments of ‘Oh my gosh,’” said Lincicome of her current form. She last competed on the LPGA at the Pure Silk Championship in late May.
Lincicome said she’s five to seven yards shorter these days but can’t tell if that’s simply because she’s playing against friends at the club rather an adrenaline-fueled tour event. She’s relieved to have longtime caddie Missy Pederson back on the bag at Pebble.
The pro-am event, held Nov. 21-24, features players from the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Korn Ferry tours compete against each other from different tee boxes for a purse of $300,000. The full field has not yet been released.
“When I heard there was a cut for this one,” said Lincicome, “I instantly got more nervous.”
Lincicome considered playing in mini-tour events against the men, which she has done in the past, to gear up for her return to the LPGA at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in January. Pebble, however, presented the best kind of tune-up.
“I miss the competition part of it and that feeling of being in contention on Sunday,” said Lincicome, a two-time major winner with eight career victories.
One thing Lincicome will have to work on for the 2020 season is figuring out how to pack for the tour with a baby in tow. For an overnight outing in Orlando, Florida, last month, Lincicome and her mother loaded up roughly 17 bags for the short drive.
Emery won’t make the trip to Asia next spring, but Lincicome is already thinking about the West Coast swing. If Emery is on the road, at least one of Lincicome’s parents will be there to help.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to squeeze some naps in there,” said Lincicome, laughing.
Naps have long been a crucial part of her winning formula.
