PARKERSBURG - Just about every golfer has endured agony with the putter.
Brittany Lincicome will attest to that pitfall.
The 26-year-old native of St. Petersburg, Fla., struggled around the green through a recent stretch of tournaments, but hopes those days are behind her as she resumed her schedule this past week in Rogers, Ark., for the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship.
Article Photos
Brittany Lincicome watches her shot on the tenth tee during the first round of the LPGA NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament in Rogers, Ark., Friday. (AP Photo)
"Last month, I tried to do something different with the putter and it was a disaster," said Lincicome. "I went back to doing something I had done before and I am putting better. Now I'm confidently going up to those 5-footers and knowing I am going to make it."
In two weeks, the LPGA Tour professional will make her annual visit to the Mid-Ohio Valley and compete in an 18-hole exhibition round as part of the 41st annual Rotary Sour Mash Memorial at Parkersburg Country Club on Monday, July 16.
The event, which is presented by the Wood County and Parkersburg rotary clubs, doubles as a reunion for the Lincicome family. Brittany Lincicome's mother, Angie, was raised in Point Pleasant and her father, Tom, graduated from Parkersburg High School.
Brittany Lincicome made a brief visit to the area a few months ago to pick up her grandmother, Dottie Campbell, and fly her back to Florida for a wedding where Lincicome was the "best man" for her brother, Bryan Vickers.
"I wore a tux and 5-inch high heels," Lincicome admitted. "I wanted to find a cute pant suit or skirt with a jacket and still look kind of girly, but I had been traveling so much and didn't want to go shopping so I got fitted for a tux.
"Everyone thought it was a great idea. I still had the hair and the make-up girls do, so it worked out fine."
Plenty of photographs exist from the occasion, but none compare to the few taken of the 400-pound goliath grouper caught by Lincicome during her fishing expedition near her home in Seminole, Fla., last week while taking a week off from the LPGA Tour. Recognized as an endangered species, this species of fish worked Lincicome and her friend for 30 minutes.
"When we hooked it, it was like a tag team," Lincicome said. "When he was tired from reeling it in, we would trade off. It was pretty comical.
"I had gone on a charter fishing trip six months ago in Fort Myers (Fla.) and caught a fish that close to 300 pounds. That was the big, but this goliath grouper was way bigger."
On the links, Lincicome is seeking to regain the form which has resulted in three top 10 finishes this year. The most recent occurred in late April when she placed in a tie for fourth at the Mobile Bay Classic in , Mobile, Ala.
However, since that tournament, the golf gods have not necessarily been in her corner. Lincicome lost in the first round of the Sybase Match Play Championship in Gladstone, N.J., then followed with a 29th place showing at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, N.J., then finished 25th at the Wegmans LPGA Championship in Pittsford, N.Y.
Establishing consistency has been a major issue for the golfer who currently ranks 24th on the tour money list with $199,330 and 13th in the Rolex rankings. Her career earnings since turning professional seven years ago amount to $4.6 million.
"I would like to be a little higher on the money list, but it's not all about that," Lincicome said. "To be where I am and still fish, and do what I love outside of golf is a very good balance."
Beginning July 5 with the opening round of the U.S. Women's Open in Kohler, Wis., Lincicome begins her quest of capturing her second career major title. She hopes her performance at a recent pro-am is a sign of things to come.
"My playing partner was Brett Quigley - it was a scramble format one day and he was showing me the lines on the putts and I was making everything," Lincicome said. "That was a huge confident boost."
Registration cost is $200 per player or $750 per team. The format is "Play Your Own Ball" team event with the two best net balls out of four.
The committee also named the grant recipients for 2012. They include Artsbridge, Family Crisis Intervention Center, Gabriel Project of West Virginia, Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home, Parkersburg Catholic High School and Vienna Public Library.
This year's honoree is Doug Adams, who spent a majority of career in Vienna as president and CEO of Ohio Valley National Bank. He is considered as one of the most involved and influential leaders in the Mid-Ohio Valley in recent history.
Adams and his wife, Carol, have two children (Scott and Kristine).
