BOSTON, Mass. – Thanks to a sponsor exemption, two-time major champion Brittany Lincicome will become the sixth female in history to compete in a PGA TOUR event, joining Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Shirley Spork, Annika Sorenstam, Suzy Whaley and Michelle Wie.
Lincicome will try to join Zaharias as the only female golfers to have made the cut at a PGA TOUR event; Zaharias made two cuts in seven PGA TOUR appearances.
The Barbasol Championship tees off Thursday July 19 through Sunday July 22, 2018, at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The golf course will play as a par 72 measuring 7,328 yards. This tournament is the 20th of 28 events sponsored by the PGA Tour and is being played the same week as The British Open, where the top-132 players in the world are gathered at Carnoustie Golf Club for the 147th edition.
The Barbasol Championship field consists of 132 players; 72 holes, stroke play; after 36 holes, the field will be cut to the top 70 and ties. The tournament purse is $3.5 million and winner’s portion is $630,000.
“Brittany holds a very unique and special place within Perio.” said Tom Murray, president and CEO of Perio, which owns the Barbasol and Pure Silk brands, who reached out to Lincicome several weeks ago. “Signing Brittany nine years ago for a Pure Silk TV commercial has blossomed into a significant position for our company within golf. Brittany’s talent as a champion golfer and her character as an exceptional individual make her a most worthy Sponsor Exemption.”
The 32-year-old Lincicome is an eight-time winner on the LPGA Tour. She said she’s feeling more nervous about it than she would a major championship and is uncertain what kind of reception she’ll get. Her length off the tee has earned her the nickname “Bam-Bam” and her average driving distance in 2018 is 269-yards.
Lincicome is a two-time major champion with wins at the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship and the 2015 ANA Inspiration; a six-time member of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 with career earnings of $8,745,076. In the 2018 LPGA season, Lincicome has made 13 cuts in 14 starts with a win and four additional top-10 finishes.
“I was kind of torn and feel very grateful to Barbasol for its confidence in my abilities and for affording me the opportunity to play amongst the top male athletes in professional golf,” said Lincicome in a press release dated July 16. “While I am aware of the strength of competition I will be up against, I am looking forward to the event and can only promise to put forth my best effort and be proud whatever the outcome.”
“Obviously I can already hear people saying you are trying to compare yourself to the men. That’s not what it is.”
The Golf Channel TV schedule: Thursday, July 19: 5-8 p.m.Friday, July 20: 5-8 p.m.Saturday, July 21: 4-7 p.m.Sunday, July 22: 4-7 p.m.
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