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LPGA STATE FARM CLASSIC

June 8, 2011

Brittany Lincicome

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS

KELLY THEISER: We'd like to welcome the 2011 LPGA ShopRite Classic winner, Brittany Lincicome to the interview room today. First off congratulations on your win last week. How have the last few days been being a winner?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, it has a nice ring to it. It's been since 2009 since my last win, so it's great to just get over the hurdle again and we'll see if we can keep it going.
It's been kind of crazy because I had an outing the Monday after and I was rushing to the airport Sunday night and then had an outing and then got here late. My housing made dinner for me, we had a cake and all that good stuff. Everyone was like, did you party; did you celebrate; have you had a drink yet? I'm like, no just haven't had time. Maybe when I go home next week.
KELLY THEISER: Is it nice coming off a win, I guess feeling like you were playing as well as did you last week, now having another tournament this week and being able to bring your game here.
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Absolutely. It's nice when you have multiple weeks back-to-back, especially when you play early in the first week. Hopefully we can keep it going, and see if we can get that two-win season this year in 2011.

Q. How has the course been playing out there so far?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I've only played nine holes so far, the back nine yesterday. It seems to be perfect. Felt a little wet, but hopefully we don't get any rain in the next couple of days, which the forecast doesn't look too good for I guess.
Greens were great. Fairways were great. The rough is really thick like it normally is here. Fairways are going to be the key for this week, and just middle of the greens and see if we can get some birdies.

Q. Pesky gnats?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: I didn't think we were going to have bugs this week. But they like to go right for your eyes. I'm not sure if they are attracted to my eyelashes or what but they always seem to get stuck in my eyelashes and my eyes.

Q. Has anybody given you any tips to fight that issue?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: No, not yet, which is shocking. I need to talk to some of the locals maybe today in the Pro-Am. My Pro-Am group will give me some advice. They always say like Bounce sheets or we have the bug spray with the Deet in it I guess, maybe that will keep them away.

Q. You mentioned this is the first time in a while where we have had consecutive weeks with full-field events and whatever, and like you said, after you come off a win, maybe you don't have enough time to really, I don't know, celebrate and enjoy it or whatever. But does this feel a little more normal so to speak, as far as this finish on Sunday, you have to get some where, you have to tee it up again does this feel more like it should?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, absolutely. In previous years, we normally have three or four multiple weeks in a row and then you go home for a week two.
Weeks off doesn't bother me. I really enjoy going home. Two weeks on, a week off, it would be ideal, or maybe three weeks even and going home for a week. It's great, especially playing so well last week. And hopefully we can keep it going this week and get some momentum going for the majors coming up.

Q. You mentioned you had an outing Monday. Where was that?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: It was in Boston. It's for Mirassou Wine. There's multiple two-hour clinics we are doing throughout the year. They are really fun actually. The men come out and we do a meet-and-greet and do a clinic with everybody, and they get to hit shots and we have LPGA instructors there and it's really fun. And we drink wine.

Q. Americans are turning up more and more on the leaderboard including victories; explanation for that versus four, five, six years ago?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Not really sure why I guess now, but I mean, it's fantastic to see, especially being an American. Obviously each week, whoever is at the top of the leaderboard, if they are American, we are always pulling for them to do well.
Hoping an American will take over the No. 1 spot, whether it be Cristie Kerr or Paula, whoever such there really, I guess. Possibly myself even, if we can keep winning. But it's just great to see.
I don't know if we are practicing more. Definitely I've been practicing more on short game; it kind of seems to be where my game especially lacks would be short game. So just trying to fine-tune a few areas of the game so we can keep dominating.

Q. Your caddie, your recently new caddie, talk about working with A.J. and how has that helped you, do you think?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, it's a funny story because our first week together was the Match Play event and we got knocked out the first round, so we only played 15 holes together. So this was her first full week on my bag.
So it was really funny, because each day, she's not really sure how far I even hit my clubs yet. So when I'm kind of bouncing things off of her: What do you think here, what do you think I should do; it's her just saying, well, if you miss it, you need to miss it here kind of a situation. Because she doesn't know how far I hit each club.
But it's been a great partnership so far. I just need that change. Mike, who was caddying for me before, was fantastic. I just needed to hear something different or just a change really I guess.
So, A.J. was available. She had been caddying on the PGA TOUR for a while. So it was nice it get her back to our side, the good side. And she's played on these courses before, so she'll going to have a lot of insight down the road to know where I need to hit it or where I need to be.
It was just nice to have a different conversation out there. We talked so much about everything and anything we could should she could keep my mind off of golf basically.

Q. I think she made the comment when she decided to come over for you, that she described you as a happy person. I don't know chatty or whatever, but do you feel like you're -- compared to some players, are you always pretty upbeat out there as far as you're having a good day or a bad day?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, depends on how I'm playing. You definitely know I'm playing well when I'm talking. I could be talking to a fan in the gallery or my standard bearers in my group, doesn't matter, if I'm playing well, then I'm very chatty.
She caught on very quickly especially the first day on Friday when I had a couple bogeys back-to-back, I hung my head a little bit and wasn't as chatty. She knew then to kind of talk about something that I enjoyed, whether it be fishing or my dogs or being home. She knew right away to get me talking again, get my head up and start looking forward to some birdies and not being negative.

Q. The situation this week, this tournament, I'm sure you're at least somewhat familiar, the situation after this year, they are going to be needing a new sponsor. I can recall, I remember you having a sponsor's exemption back in the day -- you've been on Tour for a few years now, and we have had some situations like this now with sponsors and so forth. As a player, maybe among yourselves, what do you say? Do you say, what can I do to help us make sure we are back here next year? Do you talk together about that or think about it yourself?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, it's probably more individual. Anything that I can possibly do to keep the State Farm or to even get any sponsor in this event, we are playing in the Pro-Am today; what better way to wine and dine the sponsors out there than playing a round of golf, probably five hours, making new friends out there, and just trying to be as nice as we can to them.
Obviously this tournament has been around for 36 years, I believe, and obviously we would not want to see this tournament go or for State Farm not to be back, especially how long it's been around.
And you are totally right, this is my only one sponsor exemption I ever received as an amateur into this event. So this event is more special to me, and I actually stay with a host family that lives on the Rail.
So this is a very special tournament to me and obviously I would like to see it stick around for more years to come. So anything that we can do, whether it be to go to dinner with a sponsor or do another outing this week or something for them, I would be more than happy to do, just to try to get them to come back next year.

Q. State Farm, they did say this is their last year. But they are very actively looking for new sponsors or whatever; who do you stay with here?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Bill and Gail Hahn. Natalie Gulbis has been staying with them for the past seven years I guess. My dad and I have been staying with them the last three or four years now, they have kind of taken us under their wing. They are the at the Rail. It was more convenient when we were there, but just a little bit longer drive.

Q. Couple majors coming up; that a different mind-set?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Not for me really. Like I said I've been playing very well. Just going to kind of do the same things, especially next week in the off weeks, practice really hard, practice chipping and short game, fine tuning a few things here and there, but I don't go in necessarily with a different mind frame or a different plan other than fairways, greens, and try to beat the golf course is normally what I try to do.
So no added pressure, just going to go out and try to play my game. There are courses that I've played multiple times, other than obviously the U.S. Open. So hopefully we'll see if we can come out on top.

Q. Sounds like you're a little worried that other players might over think things when they go into a major?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: It always seems that everyone invites their swing coaches out that week and their whole entourage or family. And I just kind of feel like it's another walk in the park, and try not to overthink it. Why would you want to put anymore pressure on yourself than what you already there, and knowing that it's a major, and you want to do well. Obviously the money is pretty big those weeks. You want to do well. So I just go into it as a normal week and try not to treat it any different.

Q. You said you had a chance to play nine holes here this week. The last couple of years, when you have played here, you're a long hitter; when you come out here, do you just feel like this is kind of a driver-friendly kind of course? Are you more comfortable on a course like this?
BRITTANY LINCICOME: Absolutely. I mean this, course, as opposed to other ones where I have to hit irons or hybrids off the tee; I love hitting driver. Especially if I'm hitting it well; to bomb it out there and have a wedge in my hand, obviously that's going to be a lot easier than other fellow competitors that have mid to longer irons into these greens.
It's a huge advantage if you're hitting it well, and bomb it out there and a lot of the holes set up perfectly for my draw. I feel very comfortable here so, take advantage of the par 4s and par 5s, and the par 3s always give me a hard time so, just try to get pars there and move on.
KELLY THEISER: Thank you very much.

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