Brittany Lincicome walked off the 18th green in Nicholasville, Ky., after her first PGA Tour event to applause before stopping on the way to the clubhouse to sign autographs and acknowledge spectators' warm wishes.
The LPGA Tour player made sure to savor every moment of a weekend she wished could have lasted longer.
"I would've liked to have shot better [Thursday]," said Lincicome, who missed the cut at the Barbasol Championship after shooting a 1-under 71 in a rain-delayed second round Saturday.
She failed in her bid to become the first female player since 1945 to make the cut in a PGA Tour event.
"Obviously, today was a pretty nice day, so I guess ending with today's round is a good way to leave," she said.
Lincicome, the eight-time LPGA Tour winner with two major titles, was the first woman since Michelle Wie in 2008 to play in a PGA Tour event. Lincicome had sought to join Babe Zaharias (1945) as the only women to make a PGA cut. Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam and Suzy Whaley also have played in PGA Tour events.
Lincicome faced a huge hurdle after an opening 78 left her near the bottom of the field. She had six birdies in Saturday's rain-delayed second round at Champions Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club, highlighted by an eagle-3 at 17.
Lincicome also had consecutive birdies on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes before another on No. 10. But her round included six bogeys, including three on the final four holes, and she finished at 5-over 149. The cut line was 4-under 140.
Playing partner Conrad Shindler, who made the cut, described playing with Lincicome as "a pleasure, a treat." Despite her roller-coaster performance, he said he felt her approach was consistent.
"She does the same thing every shot," he said. "She just knows where it's going to go. Each day, she gained confidence."
Her goal now is applying lessons learned from playing with the men back to the LPGA Tour. Lincicome didn't say whether she would return to play this event, but she seemed eager for LPGA Tour and PGA Tour players to be on the same course in some form.
"Just being inside the ropes with the guys, hitting on the range, on the putting green, it's just a cool feeling," she said. "I feel like I'm at home here. The guys just made me feel so comfortable."
New buzz
The buzz about hair at the British Open had been about Tommy Fleetwood's flowing locks.
On Saturday, it shifted to the buzz Jordan Spieth got in the barber chair before going out for his third round.
"It looked like a military-grade haircut," cracked Kevin Kisner, one of Spieth's housemates this week.
Spieth said his hair was getting long, so he went to a barber before heading over to the golf course. He intended to get his normal cut, but the barber had some other ideas.
"Very British haircut," he said. "A little shaved on the sides, a little longer on top. It is what it is. Summertime, it works out."
Spieth's cut not only got him some ribbing from his housemates for the week -- he and five other players are sharing a house -- but some questions at his post-round news conference, where he took his hat off briefly to show off the new look.
"How much did you pay?" one writer asked.
"Twenty pounds, I think," Spieth said. "It was like a 9-pound haircut and I tipped them."
Whatever it cost, the haircut didn't hurt. With the new style under his golf cap, Spieth went out and shot a 65 to share the lead going into the final round of the Open.
Sports on 07/22/2018