BANK OF HOPE LPGA MATCH-PLAY

May 26, 2021

Brittany Lincicome

Shadow Creek

Quick Quotes

Q. Brittany Lincicome, nice 2&1 victory to start off the inaugural Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play. How did you get it done today?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: I think we both struggled. Jenny and I have taken some time off here recently and this was our first event back. We both were pretty rusty. So it was nice to get the win 2&1, but I'm going to need to play a little bit better moving forward.

Q. Was the pairing with Shanshan fun?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Oh, gosh, it's so fun. It's hard to go out and have a good time because she's such a wonderful person, but then try to focus and try to beat her. So I just needed to bring out my killer instincts I guess, and moving forward and not -- I don't know the two girls I'm playing as well next, so maybe I can refocus and that will help me play better.

Q. You fell back behind on the second hole. Shanshan managed a par victory. You squared things back up on 6 and then Shanshan took a lead on 9, and then you guys made the turn and you were 1-down. You then really cruised toward the latter half of the back nine. Take us through that front nine and the back and forth and getting your footing.

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, the golf course is so beautiful, but the fairways are just a little bit tighter than normal. That second hole I had -- I think I had pitching wedge into the green, so nothing crazy. Just didn't even make contact with the ball. Hit it really thin and came up way short on one of the most severe false fronts on the golf course.

Had this really awkward chip, so it was just really unfortunate just hitting the fairway and having a short iron in and making bogey and losing the hole, but them moving forward we went back and forth which was really fun.

Finally made some birdies on the back nine and then the last hole, 17, is such a hard hole to hold that green and the pin was only 4-over the carry, and even knowing that, just with the heat and everything -- the ball is going a little bit further, and I just can't quite trust that yet that it's actually going to go further with the water being short.

So I hit it long in the bunker and hit a great shot to about five feet and made it.

Q. Nice. Yeah, birdie on 12. That got you back to all square and then 1-up thanks to par on 14, and then par on 15, and then you got back to the 2-up like you said on 17. That was a nice stretch seems like. We've seen a lot of birdies and bogeys win holes. How tough is it out there?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: It's tough. The holes are playing really long, too. Fairways are supposed to be running pretty quick to get that extra roll, so they're not supposed to play all of 420 like some of the holes. But they're playing long, so it's a great test. This golf course is so perfect. Such a wonderful place to be.

It's a great golf course for match play. I didn't feel like it was set up to make too many birdies today, so pars were a good score.

Q. You have been obviously in many people's thoughts and prayers recently. When you took the time off you did, to come back to a setting where you don't maybe get quite the onslaught of 143 other players coming up to talk with you, but you kind of get this kind of environment. You can play with Shanshan and I'm sure she could give you a few laughs. What was it like just to finally get back out here after everything you been through?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Yeah, it's been great. Everybody has been super supportive. I've got so many calls, text messages from everybody. It's funny, because they don't know what to say. I'm like, It's fine. Thank you so much for even saying anything at all. Like you said, it's a smaller field so it's been great to talk to a few people.

But everyone has been awesome, and I think this was a fun event to come back to. I've played maybe once in two weeks the time that I took off, so it's -- I was definitely rusty. Match play you can make a 10 on a hole and only be 1-down, soit's a great event to come back to and I hope I can keep it going.

Q. In a normal year, what would be your favorite thing to do in Vegas?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: Oh, gosh, I would definitely be going to the casino. I specifically withdrew money just in case they were going to have like a little area for us, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen, which is probably better. I should have gambled with my pro-am guys yesterday. They were having a great time on the course.

But, yeah, Vegas is a wonderful place. Two more years I hear, so hopefully next year when we come back we'll be able to go to the casinos.

Q. You've had great sponsors over the years, Diamond Resorts, Barbasol, but I'm seeing the work that Bank of Hope has done this week and MGM and Shadow Creek hosting. What's it been like to be welcomed in this manner?

BRITTANY LINCICOME: I mean, literally is giving me chills. It's been above and beyond. Even our best events on tour, this one I feel like is going above and beyond that. It's just the little things. In our locker room we have a jersey hanging. We had popcorn and movie thing the next day.

And then today I went to my locker and I had a facial steamer. It's just the little things like that, little gifts here and there, or just what they do for us in dining, games that they have over for us.

You know, offering stuff at the hotel that everyone is staying at. It's just the little things like that that really us players remember, and we're being treated so wonderful this week I wish every tournament -- you talk to the people running this event and be like, What can we do to make our event better? And this is how you do it right here.