Brittany Lincicome (2nd from R) hugs her caddie, Missy Pederson, after leaping into Poppy's Pond with her father, Tom Lincicome (R) and her fiancé Dewald Gouws (L) after winning the LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration golf tournament in the third playoff hole at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, Sunday. — AP RANCHO MIRAGE, California —Brittany Lincicome didn't know where she stood in the ANA Inspiration when she hit her 190-yard approach on the final hole of regulation.
A 10-foot eagle putt and three pars later, she found herself splashing around in the pond surrounding the 18th green, known as Poppie's Pond, after her second surprise victory leap in the first major championship of the year.
“Super emotional,” Lincicome said at the 18th green after the victory. “I'm standing here, physically shaking like a leaf still. It's over and I'm still shaking.”
The 29-year-old Lincicome pulled even with Stacy Lewis with the eagle and outlasted her US Solheim Cup teammate with a two-putt par in fading light on the third extra hole — all on the par-5 18th.
Lewis, the 2011 winner, had three chances to win on the 18th, but missed birdie putts from 13 feet in regulation, 15 feet on the first extra hole and 12 feet on the second.
“The initial reaction is disappointed, obviously,” she said. “But I played great and I hit some really good putts there, especially at the end. It just wasn't quite meant to be today.”
On the third extra hole, Lewis left her 103-yard approach from a sand-filled divot short of the green and her chip stopped 12 feet in front of the pin. Her par putt came up an inch short, and Lincicome two-putted for the victory.
Playing a group ahead of Lewis, Lincicome hit a 5-iron from 190 yards to 10 feet to set up her closing eagle. She shot a 69, matching Lewis at 9-under 279.
Lewis closed with a 70 in tricky windy conditions.
“Once we got back in that corner around 13, 14, the wind just kind of went crazy on us,” she said. “It was changing directions. It changed when we were on 10. It changed when we were on 16. It changed when we were on 18, multiple times during the playoff.”
Lincicome lost a playoff to Inbee Park last year in the LPGA Championship, one of the tour's five majors.
“I just took from that that it was nice to be in contention again,” she said. “Just didn't let it get to me.”
Two strokes ahead of playing partner Sei Young Kim of South Korea and four ahead of Lincicome with five holes left, Lewis missed a chance for her third major title. She has 11 LPGA Tour victories and 18 runner-up finishes, three in seven starts this year.
The 30-year-old Lewis bogeyed the par-4 13th and 15th and closed with three pars.
Morgan Pressel was third at 8 under. She nearly holed her approach on 18 for eagle and made a short birdie putt for a 70.
Kim, three strokes ahead of Lewis entering the round, had a 75 to tie for fourth at 7 under with Carlota Ciganda of Spain (68) and Anna Nordqvist of Sweden (69).
Kim had only one par on the back nine, on the 18th when she needed an eagle to get into the playoff. The 22-year-old South Korean player, who won her first LPGA title in February in the Bahamas, four-putted the par-3 14th for a double bogey to fall out of a tie for the lead with Lewis.
Lexi Thompson, the winner last year, was 6 under. She finished birdie-eagle for a 70.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand had a 73 to tie for 51st at 3 over. — AP
