There is change afoot on the LPGA tour, and at the Kraft Nabisco Championship this new reality was brought to life by Cristie Kerr's final-round wardrobe: red cap, white shirt, blue shorts. For years the face of the LPGA has been increasingly international, but the story of 2009 has been the resurgence of American talent. The hottest player on tour has been Angela Stanford, of Saginaw, Texas. The consensus best player never to have won a major is Paula Creamer, of Pleasanton, California. The three most intriguing rookies are Vicky Hurst of Melbourne, Florida; Stacy Lewis, by way of the Woodlands, Texas; and Honolulu's Michelle Wie. In Rancho Mirage, California, five of the top seven finishers were from the U.S., including the three in the final pairing, all fair-haired Floridians: Miami's Kerr, Kristy McPherson of Tampa, and Brittany Lincicome, the pride of Seminole. Each held the lead at some point during the final round, and over the closing holes they put on a show for the ages.
McPherson, a 27-year-old looking for her first LPGA victory, was clinging to a one-stroke lead over her playing partners as she stepped to the tee at the exacting 173-yard par-3 17th hole. All she did was doink her tee shot off the flag. But she missed the ensuing 10-footer for birdie, sending the action to the 18th at Mission Hills Country Club, which in recent years has been the site of some of the sport's most compelling drama, including Karrie Webb's instantly famous hole-out for eagle in 2006.
On Sunday the tees of the watery, do-or-die par-5 18th were moved up, so the hole played to 485 yards. Seeing where they had been placed, Lincicome's father, Tom, blurted out, "This is what we need, green-light special!" His 5' 10" daughter promptly pounded a drive and then, after her shorter-hitting playing partners laid up, Brittany sized up her shot: 190 yards to carry the water, 210 to the pin, a perfect yardage for her 19-degree hybrid. A prodigious talent who has never been known for her preparation or her practice habits, Lincicome recently began working with the new-agey sports pyschologists at Vision 54, and a trick they taught her for dealing with on-course stress is to burst into song. As she faced the most important shot of her career, Lincicome recounted afterward, "my hands are shaking and my heart is racing." Humming a little Kenny Chesney mellowed her out, and she ripped a majestic shot that landed in the center of the green and then, as planned, funneled down the slope toward the pin, trickling closer and closer until it finished four feet from glory.
But the show wasn't over — Kerr's third shot ran right over the hole, leaving a devilish birdie putt that she walked into the cup. McPherson's long birdie try singed the edge. Finally it was Lincicome's turn, and the bubbly 23-year-old shook in the putt for a victorious eagle. Even before she putted out for her par, McPherson wrapped her best friend in a long hug, indicative of the good cheer and good sportsmanship that enlivened the round. "It was great golf, a great show," McPherson said. "If you're a young girl out there who's just getting into the game and you watched this on TV in Texas or California or wherever, I don't see how you couldn't be inspired."
