The stars could hardly be better aligned for Brittany Lincicome as she prepares for the first major championship of the year, next week's ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.

Her confidence is sky-high after superb golf in her first four starts on the 2018 LPGA Tour, highlighted by a victory at the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic and a tie for seventh in Thailand, while a sizzling seven-under 65 in Saturday's third round at Aviara Golf Club rocketed her up the Kia Classic leaderboard after she had narrowly made the cut.

Add to that the fact that she is a twice winner at Mission Hills, a layout she loved the very first time she saw it and where both of her titles were clinched on Easter Sunday, and it is no surprise that she is licking her lips in anticipation for next week - when the tournament is again scheduled to conclude on Easter Sunday.

"With both of my wins at Rancho Mirage coming on Easter Sunday, it's kind of crazy," Lincicome, flashing a broad smile, told LPGA.com after she had reeled off eight birdies and a sole bogey at Aviara. "Palm Springs, you drive into that golf course and with the flowers and the palm trees and the course and just how green it is, there's just something about it that really puts a smile on my face.

"That golf course is obviously a long hitter's course but you've got to keep it in play, you've got to keep it in the fairway," said Lincicome, who is one of the biggest bombers on the LPGA Tour. "The rough is really thick. If I can keep playing the way I've been playing all year, I just feel very confident and my putting has been amazing all year, which is awesome."

Lincicome tied for second to put the bow on a sizzling debut appearance in the year's first major in 2006, and she went on to win the prestigious title in 2009 and 2015 to enhance her status as one of the best players in the game.

Asked what had been the key to her sparkling form this year, she replied: "I'm driving it well, and I'm keeping it in play. I'd say if anything my irons aren't super great but my putter has really saved me. I make a couple of putts here and there and that gets the momentum going for the day. And then my par saves - I'm making everything on the greens so that's obviously really nice."

STAYING POSITIVE

Another huge benefit for Lincicome is the focus she has put on staying as positive as possible out on the course, especially when things are not going her way.

"If you're not mentally tough and can't keep it together, that makes or breaks a professional, I think," said the Florida-born player, who has triumphed eight times on the LPGA Tour. "If you miss a three-footer or so, you can't get mad. You just laugh it off, go to the next hole and try to do better.

"Normally if I get mad, it's like three or four holes of bogeys that happen before I can kind of get my game back in shape. So I'm just trying to keep the emotions in check, trying to be more even keeled throughout the day and just laugh it off."

On Saturday, Lincicome made a red-hot start with six birdies on the front nine, holing a 25-footer from just off the green at the par-four ninth to reach the turn in five-under 31. She picked up two more shots coming in to post a seven-under total of 209.

"My putter was really good today," said Lincicome, who needed only 11 putts on her outward nine before ending the day with a total of just 27. "I made pretty much everything. Actually I missed a pretty short eagle putt on 16 ... but I was just in the zone. Maybe just getting up early and out in front of everybody was the help. We were aggressive. We went for a lot of pins today, and that paid off."

Lincicome had just one complaint after she had signed for her 65, a nagging cold that she has been struggling to shake off over the past week.

"After a great round like this, I'm now going back to bed,” she said. “I just can't kick this cold I have. It's been about six days now. But at least I get to sleep in again, which is nice."

Confidence Soaring for Mission Hills Expert Ahead of ANA Inspiration

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