The US professional golfer Brittany Lincicome is the only sixth woman in history to take part in a men's tournament of the PGA Tour starting Thursday. The 32-year-old starts at the 3.5-million-dollar Barbasol Championship in Kentucky. "I'm right, really excited," Lincicome said before her first lap.
"Of course, I've often heard that I can become the first woman to make the cut on the men, and I'm sure I'll be nervous at the first three or four holes," Lincicome said. The American has won on the women's tour LPGA so far two major titles and a total of eight tournaments.
The Swede Annika Sörenstam was the first woman in 58 years to take part in a men's PGA tournament in 2003 and missed the cut. Until then, Babe Zaharias from the USA in 1945 was the last golfer who had dared to take the step. In 2008, US star Michelle Wie was the last woman ever to miss a men's tournament, also without scoring the cut.
"It was already surreal on the practice session," Lincicome said before her PGA debut: "I can not stop smiling, I'll just go out and enjoy the best time of my life, I can not wait for Thursday."
The lack of support from the competition should not fail. "All men - whether on the golf course or in the dining room - were super supportive, I think that's great," said Lincicome before her historic participation. "They love the fact that I'm here and have made that clear."