Lincicome Defends and More from the Bahamas

IT’S BETTER IN THE BAHAMAS – 2018 LPGA SEASON KICKS OFF IN PARADISE

For the sixth consecutive year, the LPGA Tour kicks off a new season with a literal trip to Paradise. The world’s best female golfers have descended on Paradise Island in the Bahamas for the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, held at the Ocean Club Golf Course 

The 2017 tournament was one for the record books, with new marks set at 18, 36, 54 and 72 holes, as well as all four individual rounds. Ultimately, 72 holes of record-setting golf wasn’t enough for Brittany Lincicome and Lexi Thompson, with Lincicome capturing her seventh LPGA Tour victory thanks to a birdie on the first playoff hole with Thompson, who went on to win twice in 2017. 

Six of the top 10 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are competing this week, led by World No. 1Shanshan Feng, who is in her 11th week atop the rankings. Lincicome is the only past Pure Silk-Bahamas champion in the field, but she is joined by 11 other winners from the 2017 season, including Feng and Thompson. This week also marks the debuts of 12 LPGA rookies, including Tiffany Chan and Maria Torres, the Tour’s first-ever players from Hong Kong and Puerto Rico, respectively.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BRITTANY LINCICOME, 2017 PURE SILK-BAHAMAS LPGA CLASSIC WINNER

• Made 20 of 24 cuts in 2017, with her only victory coming at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic; she also had top-10 finishes at the Marathon Classic presented by Owens-Corning and O-I and the MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open
• Has seven career LPGA victories – 2006 HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship, 2007 Ginn Open, 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship, 2011 ShopRite LPGA Classic, 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open, 2015 ANA Inspiration, 2017 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic
• Currently No. 53 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings
• Coming into the 2018 LPGA season, she sits 25th on the LPGA All-Time Money List with $8,156,158 in career earnings; she trails No. 24 Ai Miyazato by $146,207 and No. 23 Rosie Jones by $198,910 

TAKING THE GREEN FLAG IN THE 2018 RACE TO THE CME GLOBE

This week’s Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic marks the first lap of the 2018 Race to the CME Globe. Throughout the season’s 33 official events, LPGA Members will battle for position, with the top 12 players after the Blue Bay LPGA heading into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship with the opportunity to take home a $1 million bonus, the biggest prize in women’s golf.

All tournaments have the same point values except for the five major championships, which carry 25 percent

more value. For all events with a cut, points are awarded to members who make the cut, while for events without a cut, points are awarded to members who finish in the top 40 and ties.

Points will be reset for the CME Group Tour Championship following the Blue Bay LPGA, with the top 72 LPGA Members, as well as any non-Member winners and alternates, seeded into the championship field. For the top five players, it’s easy – win the CME Group Tour Championship and take home $1 million. However, the top 12 in the points race all have a mathematical chance to take the title of Race to the CME Globe Champion and win the coveted check. 

In 2017, Lexi Thompson became the first American winner of the Race to the CME Globe and the accompanying $1 million prize. She joined Lydia Ko (2014, 2015) and Ariya Jutanugarn (2016) as the only women to hoist the crystal trophy. 

COMEDY TURN FOR RYU WHILE FILMING LPGA’S 2018 AD CAMPAIGN

The LPGA this week unveiled its 2018 advertising campaign and Rolex Rankings World No. 3 So Yeon Ryu was one of several players who had an absolute ball while taking part in the creation of the four spots.

“We had such a great time filming these ads!” said Ryu. “I enjoyed teaching Jessica Korda a bit of Korean for our ‘Language’ ad, and it was so adorable to see her worrying if she might mispronounce some of the words.”

One of the punchlines in the ‘Language’ ad was Ryu saying to Korda: “You just said you want some cheese monkey!” after Korda had tried to order food using a language app.

“The concepts for both the ‘Language’ and ‘Frequent Flyer’ ads really express where the LPGA Tour stands today,” said Ryu. “Like it mentions in ‘Frequent Flyer’, we had tournaments held in a total of 15 different countries in 2017! The LPGA Tour is getting more global each year, and as players we have to give back to the community for their huge efforts and support. I hope everyone enjoys these ads.” 

Click here for more information on the LPGA’s 2018 advertising campaign.

WELCOME PRESS CONFERENCE, RBC JUNIOR CLINIC FILL BUSY DAY AT SIXTH ANNUAL PURE SILK-BAHAMAS LPGA CLASSIC

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s Travis Robinson, Parliamentary Secretary, on Tuesday extolled the virtues of his homeland as a “sports mecca” and welcomed local and international media and golf fans from around the world to the sixth annual Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic during a press conference at the Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis Resort.

Hosted by Jeff Raedle, tournament director and principal of Global Golf Management, which operates the season-opening event on the LPGA schedule, the press conference kicked off a busy day at the Ocean Club as players worked in their practice rounds and aspiring young golfers got an introduction to the game during the annual RBC Junior Clinic. 

Also appearing on the dais with Robinson and Raedle were the following dignitaries: Kevin Darling, Head of Business Banking, Northern Caribbean; Alan Bates, Chief ALIV; Robbie Leming, General Manager of Ocean Club; Bahamas native Georgette Rolle, who is competing in her fifth Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic; and Sharon Cleare, Bahamas Golf Federation Chair, Ladies Division. 

“This is the sixth year of this prestigious international tournament in the Bahamas, a tournament made possible by the close collaboration of key sponsors,” Robinson said in front of packed room. “The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation is pleased once again to be a co-title sponsor of this tournament in conjunction with Pure Silk and the LPGA. … This tournament has been an all-around success, which explains why sponsors return year after year.”