LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Brittany Lincicome knew that motherhood would present a new set of hurdles on the LPGA, but “mommy thumb” certainly wasn’t on her radar.
“I googled it, and it’s a tendon here from picking (Emery) up and holding her so much,” said Lincicome, pointing to the area below her left thumb and down her wrist. “I’m sure golf didn’t help either.”
Lincicome, 34, was on her way to the physio trailer after a painful pro-am round at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. She had a cortisone shot in her wrist last Wednesday and hoped that if she laid off for a week, the pain would subside. Lincicome said she only feels pain when she’s hitting golf shots. It’s estimated that Mommy Thumb, or De Quervain’s tendinitis, impacts nearly half of all new moms.
Josh Donaldson, an MLB All-Star in the celebrity field, gave her a few stretches to try as well as band exercises. There’s not much she can do at this point other than play through it.
“I was really hoping it would magically be better and it wasn’t,” she said.
This week’s TOC marks Lincicome’s first LPGA event since giving birth to her first child in July. She and husband Dewald Gouws made a pact that Lincicome would travel with the baby (away from Gouws) no more than two weeks. Even so, she plans to play a full schedule this year.
While the injury is certainly a setback, Lincicome wants to get back into the winner’s circle quickly.
“I have a lot of prove,” she said. “I just had a baby. I’m coming back, don’t count me out.”
Lincicome also lost a sponsor in CME. She’d like to prove something there too.
Two of Lincicome’s eight LPGA victories came at season-opening events in the Bahamas. She likes the relaxed atmosphere at the TOC – the parties, the celebrities, the fact that there’s no cut.
“Last year I played with Larry the Cable Guy,” she said. “He had his boom box going the whole time. It just feels like you’re playing with buddies, so it doesn’t feel like pressure.”
This year Lincicome is paired with Grant Hill and Ray Allen in the first round. While she’s not a big basketball fan, her caddie, Missy Pederson, actually played professionally for a season. She’ll be in heaven come Thursday.
“I’m like ‘Dude we need to like bring it down,’ ” joked Lincicome. “We don’t need to be stalker fans inside the ropes.”
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