“I was very patient, singing a lot of songs, very chatty,” Lincicome said after her second LPGA Tour victory of the season and fifth overall.
“The weather was not great, but I was still having fun. I’m definitely going to remember this win.”
Lincicome saved par on the 18th hole for a 2-under 70 to edge defending champion Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis by a stroke at Hillsdale Golf & Country Club in Mirabel, Quebec. Lincicome finished at 13 under and earned $337,500.
To stay focused, the long-hitting American sings to herself as part of her sports psychology program but she wasn’t quite ready for an encore in the media center.
“I’m not a good singer, so I’m not singing for you,” she said.
Fears that the fourth round wouldn’t be concluded because of remnants of Tropical Storm Irene didn’t pan out. It rained heavily on the back nine for the leaders and the wind gusted, but play was never stopped.
Lewis shot a 67 — the best round of the day — to match Wie (72) at 12 under.
“I knew the day was going to be hard and you just have to get through it — grind over every putt and every shot,” said Lewis, who got in 15 holes before the rain started.
Lincicome pulled her tee shot on 18 into a tent and took a drop, but managed to get the ball up near the green, chip it close and make the winning putt.
KRAFT TAKES U.S. AM
Kelly Kraft took the lead when UCLA star Patrick Cantlay bogeyed the 16th hole, then hung on for a 2-up win in the U.S. Amateur final at Erin Hills, Wisc.
Kraft, coming off his senior season at SMU, received a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team after the match. Both finalists will receive a spot in next year’s U.S. Open, and both traditionally are invited to the Masters. As the winner, the 22-year-old Kraft also gets a spot in the British Open.
That’s provided both players keep their amateur status, something Kraft seemed to be leaning toward.
The 19-year-old Cantlay, already on the Walker Cup team, had two extra-hole victories in the event but couldn’t come up with the shots he needed with the title at stake in the 36-hole final. He was a semifinalist at the U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay last year.
TRIPLETT POSTS WIN
Three-time PGA Tour winner Kirk Triplett, 49, won the News Sentinel Open in Knoxville, Tenn., to become the oldest winner in Nationwide Tour history.
The Pullman High graduate shot his second consecutive 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Marco Dawson.
BJORN TOPS COETZEE
Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn won the Johnnie Walker Championship, birdieing the fifth hole of a playoff with South Africa’s George Coetzee.
In cold and windy conditions at Gleneagles, Scotland, Bjorn birdied the par-5 18th three straight time to hold off Coetzee in the playoff that started with five players.
Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger dropped out on the first extra hole, Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal on the second and England’s Mark Foster on the fourth.
They finished regulation at 11-under 277.
