COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP

May 11, 2022

Brittany Lincicome

Upper Montclair Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Brittany, welcome back to New Jersey. What is it like just preparing for an event like the Cognizant Founders Cup?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: This is awesome. It's great to be back. I didn't get to play last year, unfortunately, so it's nice to be back this year. Just this event, giving back to where it all started for our Founders. I've already seen Nancy Lopez. I'm sure there's more wonderful women here. It's just an awesome event. Just starting this event years ago, just kind of how it started, how we all played for free and money went to charity. It just has turned into a wonderful event. Happy to be back.

THE MODERATOR: You've played in just about every edition of the Founders Cup. Take me through what it was like, and you just mentioned it, but in those early years when Mike Whan came to the tour with this idea to not get paid and to benefit a charity like Girls Golf and charities in general. What was going through your mind back in 2011 when you heard of this idea?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: I think originally we all thought he was crazy, but now it's blossomed into a beautiful event. I think the first year I finished maybe second, so I got a pretty decent check for one of my other favorite charities, which is the First Tee of St. Petersburg. That money really got us started. We have built a building since then.

Just helping kids in general is what it's all about. Leaving the game better than what it was when I came out here has been my goal for 18 years now. Helping Girls Golf or the First Tees. I just love seeing kids out.

Mike's vision back then was something we were all, like, oh, is this going to work, how is this going to work, and now it's turned into this beautiful event. We're obviously very grateful for his vision.

THE MODERATOR: This is I want to say the 10th edition or the 10th or 11th edition of this tournament in itself. How has it changed throughout the years? What has it been like as a player to see it continuously elevate to what it is now?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: It's incredible. Not that we played bad courses back then, but every year it seems like we're going to another great golf course.

I didn't get to play last year. I believe it was Mountain Ridge, but I played a pro-am there, and I remember thinking, gosh, this golf course is so beautiful.

Then Upper Montclair is a stunning golf course. I get to see the back nine today, so I'm super excited. Just for being a part of it for all these years and seeing it kind of grow and what we're doing for Girls Golf and how it's grown, it's really incredible to be a part of.

THE MODERATOR: One of the missions of this event is celebrating the past, the present, and the future of the LPGA Tour. You were a member of the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program.

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Just a few years ago.

THE MODERATOR: I don't want to say remember those times, but what was it like starting off in a program like Girls Golf and kind of to see as a player and to give back as a player as you have come through the LPGA Tour?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: It's hard to remember that far back, but just my most greatest moments was just not having to play golf with the boys, being able to play with some girls. Just now getting more girls involved with the game of golf.

I don't know the numbers, but I know we have grown incredibly over the last couple of years. Growing the girls golf program. It's great to see more girls getting involved with the game of golf.

Really any child. Just watching them hit a golf ball for the first time, and that smile on their face when they actually hit the ball is the coolest feeling ever. Celebrating all these generations and just trying to leave the game better, I think we're doing a great job, and it obviously keeps growing every year, and more kids are getting involved. Especially girls, which is great whether it's a high school level, college level, or maybe they go on in future business.

It's a great way to entertain clients. You never know who you are going to meet on the golf course. I think it's really cool for kids to get involved with the game.

THE MODERATOR: Something incredible is that between the LPGA and the Epson Tour, there are 80 Girls Golf alum, and there are 21 including yourself in the field this week, including yourself. I love the little, "oh, my gosh, that is a lot." To see that kind of growth and be recognized at the Cognizant Founders Cup, what does it mean to you as an ambassador of Girls Golf and as an alum yourself?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: I think you're only going to see that going up. The number they've doubled and tripled over the years. Every time I talk to the ladies that run it, they're saying they're doing great. Bigger and better. More girls are getting involved. I think that number is just going to keep on getting bigger and bigger, which is really cool to see.

Just more girls coming out, turning pro or just playing golf. Yeah, it's cool to be -- I was grateful when they started it back in the day, and now just you have a place for girls to go to play golf. I think it's really incredible. It's definitely more comforting than trying to play with boys sometimes. It makes you feel a little more comfortable.

THE MODERATOR: You talk a little about seeing some pioneers and LPGA legends out here this week as we give back to the past as well, but Nancy Lopez, who was a pioneer last year. We've got Gloria Ehret and Patty Sheehan for these years as pioneers.

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Oh, fun.

THE MODERATOR: What's it like when you are able to exit 18 and look off into the Founders Perch? I know this year we will have a missing seat in what is Shirley Spork, but in general, what's it like to give back to what the tour was?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, I wouldn't be here, we wouldn't be here without them. Just to go over and shake their hands and say, "thank you for having this vision years ago," it takes two seconds out of your time, but it really from the bottom of our hearts we can't thank them enough for having this vision and turning it into what it is now.

We're always trying to make it bigger and better, and we're trying to make them proud for purses going up, more tournaments, more TV time. All these great things that are happening now with the new Commissioner. But, yeah, to see all those women on the 18th green and just to see them around, I feel like a lot of them come to -- Nancy comes to a lot of tournaments, so I get to see her a lot, which is great.

She's still involved with the game of golf. She still loves the game of golf. We can't thank them enough for their vision and even just being a part of the tour now. Nancy hasn't played professionally in a long time, but she still loves the tour and wants to give back and make the tour better. It's really cool.

THE MODERATOR: We'll have not only tributes to Shirley. You'll see some rubber ducks. You'll see some ribbons. As we think about her presence and what she has given back to this game of golf, what are some of your best memories you have through the years on tour watching her on the Founders Perch, seeing her at Solheim Cup. When you think of Shirley Spork, what are some of the memories that come to mind for you?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: That woman got around to so many events. I feel like we saw her all the time. She was a huge Facebook person. Every time you posted something, she was always the first to comment.

Any time I would see her in person, she was always giving me a golf lesson or tip here or there, which was super helpful. Having somebody, a Hall of Famer, back in the day giving you advice, of course, you're going to take it and run with it.

Just to see how much she loved the game and to have her out a lot of times and to see her, it really was super special. It was really great to get to know her over the years. Obviously, going to miss her very much because she was such a great part of the game and really meant a lot to the game.

THE MODERATOR: I'll be looking for those rubber duckies. A little bit more about Girls Golf. Nearly 100,000 young women and girls have been associated with the program. Will Emery become one of those in the near future, do you think?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Absolutely. Everyone always asks, "oh, do you think she's going to be a pro golfer?" I have no idea. She's 2.

Just like I said earlier, you know, just getting her involved. Golf teaches you so many great lessons. Whether she uses those for high school, college, professional, whatever, business in the future, it's just a great game that it would be cool for her to play with her dad and I and just to go out and have some fun.

We have clubs now. She kind of just whacks the dog with them mostly, so her attention span probably lasts about three minutes. So it's a work in progress, but she has golf clubs already. We would just love for her at any level just to be able to play with her dad and I, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Emery is soon to be a big sister.

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah.

THE MODERATOR: We've talked about that before. As an LPGA mom already on tour, what's it been like this past season kind of balancing being pregnant on tour and also having a little one in Emery? But not only that, what have you learned from the last time that you were playing while pregnant on tour?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, so I'm super lucky. I don't get sick in the beginnings. I carry pretty well. I think because I'm taller. It's just been a breeze so far. I'll be 6 months tomorrow, so we're moving right along, which is great.

I don't want to shut it down yet because then the time is just going to go by really slow, so I'm going to keep playing as long as I possibly can, as long as I feel comfortable and I'm not too big yet. We're going to keep it going.

It's cool. Emery, any time you ask her, she says, "Emery big sister." She knows she's going to be a big sister soon. Obviously, I refer to my belly just saying, "there's a baby in mommy's belly," which is cool.

I'm a little bit nervous to be the first to have two out on tour, other than our veteran players. Obviously, I can get advice from Julie Inkster or Pat Hurst how to juggle two, but it's going to be wonderful. We're super excited about baby number two, and can't wait for her to get here.

THE MODERATOR: I was just about to ask, have you reached out to the moms like that that have juggled two on tour?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Not yet, but I'm sure it's definitely a conversation that I need to have sooner rather than later. My parents have been so great. They travel every week with me to help with Emery, so I'm sure they'll be out helping with baby number two if I continue to play.

Yeah, we'll have to take it week-to-week just to see. I'm sure it's going to be that much more difficult to have two. One I say is super easy because somebody can always watch her. It's not a big deal. She's a great sleeper, thank God, just like me. I'm sure throwing number two in there, if they're not good sleepers or on different pages, it will be a little tougher.

We'll see what happens, but right now my plan is to keep playing and to come back, but we'll see.

THE MODERATOR: It's a great little support system I feel with the LPGA moms out here on tour.

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Totally.

THE MODERATOR: What's it been like when you first opened up that news to them as well saying there's a second one coming as well? How much support and how did it feel to kind of be able to tell that support system that you have out here about baby number two?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: It's so great. I am hoping more of them are going to get on board, and we're going to do this together because all of our kids are all super close in age, which is super fun.

It seemed like there was a gap for so long where there were no babies on tour, and now we have so many. It's been really cool to be a part of. Obviously, we can -- either Gerina or Stacy or Brittany Lang, like, ask advice. Hey, my kid is doing this. Is this normal? What should we be doing?

It's been great. I need more to get on board. Jackie Stoelting and I are three days apart I think, so her and I have been talking a bunch about how we're feeling or what our plan is in the future. Yeah, we definitely need more moms to have that second one so we can all be in a group together and we can all know what's happening at the same time.

It's been cool. Everyone has been supportive and texting saying congrats, so it's been really cool.

THE MODERATOR: You talk about keeping on playing, about how you don't want to shut it down yet. You don't want to get too bored. As you have been playing and prepping for Founders Cup this week, what do you think of Upper Montclair? You talked about how you do like this course. What do you really like about it?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: I have only played the front nine, but it's so beautiful. The fairways are pretty generous, so it's probably going to be more the second shots and the greens, but it's the perfect layout. It's so beautiful. Everything is immaculate already, so I'm super excited to go see the back nine today and then, obviously, tee it up on Thursday.

It's seems like a golf course that fits my eye pretty well, so I've been playing really, really well. I just need one or two -- literally one or two more putts to fall either to keep the momentum going or to kind of change what's happening during the round and kind of get it going, which we haven't had all year.

I played yesterday, and the same. The ball would go over the hole every time, and it just would not fall in the hole. We just literally need one break here or there, and I feel like my game is going to turn around and it's going to be great because I'm hitting it really well. I don't miss fairways. I hit it in every fairway, which you would think would make the game a lot easier, but it still doesn't.

THE MODERATOR: What's it like to balance that mentality? You are a pregnant mom on tour. Not only that, but also just trying to find that part of your game, like you talk about, again? What's it like mentally to be able to separate that and know that there's a lot going on as well?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Super frustrating because the competitor in me is saying "we're better than this." I've won multiple times. It should be easier than this, but the tour is just getting stronger and stronger.

The girls are getting better and better, so even par or one or two overs don't make the cut anymore. You have to be under par or even at worst. The tour is getting harder.

Being six months pregnant I don't give myself enough credit of we're going through a lot. My body is changing, obviously, but just in my head obviously it's the competitor in me. I just want to do good every week. I feel like I should be able to do good every week. So it's kind of a weird situation to be in, but yeah, it is what it is.

After the round I'm, like, okay, I'm pregnant with a healthy baby. I have a healthy baby at home. Life is fine, so it's okay.

THE MODERATOR: It's nice to have that off the golf course. I'll wrap it up with this here too. As you look forward and you look ahead to the coming months and how you'll strategize that -- I talked a little bit about Jin Young used to always say being the happiest golfer on the golf course too. What goes into even if you are getting frustrated, what goes into settling yourself on the golf course and kind of getting that competitiveness out, but not too much of the frustration?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: So keeping photos of my daughter and husband in my yardage book is a huge help. Again, just me being the competitor, I put too much pressure on myself. I want to do good every week, and I want to hit every shot perfect, and then at the end of the day it's like really it's not that big of a deal. I'm going through some stuff that other players aren't going through, and we're trying to figure it all out, so cut myself a little slack, but I just don't want to.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Brittany, for joining us. Bust of luck.

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Thank you so much.