Brittany Lincicome and her husband were decorating their Christmas tree on Monday morning when she picked up the phone. As daughter Emery was already taste-testing the ornaments, she noted that decorations might need to stay on the top half of the tree this year.
Lincicome, 35, planned to be in Dallas this week, teeing it up in the Volunteers of America Classic and staying at the home of good friend Brittany Lang. Their young daughters were supposed to have a week-long playdate.
But, 2020 had other plans.
Lincicome took the LPGA’s pre-tournament test last Monday and the results, which she received on Wednesday, came back negative. But when her husband, Dewald Gouws began to lose his sense of taste and smell, the couple decided to get tested again on Thanksgiving morning. Lincicome’s second test came back positive, while Gouws’ test was negative.
They quarantined at the house for the rest of Thanksgiving and took another test on Friday. Once again, Lincicome’s results were positive; Gouws was still negative.
It wasn’t until Lincicome went to change Emery’s diaper that she realized that her sense of smell had vanished. She tried smelling vinegar, too.
Nothing.
“It kind of feels like allergies,” said Lincicome of her mild symptoms.
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The two-time major winner is grateful that her 88-year-old grandmother told them not to come for their annual Thanksgiving trip to West Virginia. And while it’s tough to miss out on any LPGA event, the tour’s doctor said she should be cleared to fly to Texas for the final major of the year on Sunday.
As the family continues to quarantine at home, Lincicome wears a mask and avoids cuddles.
She plans to fly solo to Houston for next week’s U.S. Women’s Open, where she’ll learn the two courses at Champions Golf Club in three days. Lincicome has only once gone early to a USWO venue – the 2010 championship at Oakmont – and decided that the extra prep work only added more pressure. It’s the caddies, she said, who will have the real challenge.
“I’d probably rather see (a course) completely blind,” she said, “than see it too many times.”
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Seven players and caddies tested positive ahead of the LPGA’s last event near Clearwater, Florida, the Pelican Women’s Championship, including Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn. Both are listed in this week’s field in Texas.
Since the LPGA and Symetra Tour started testing players in July, tour officials say that approximately 6,200 tests had been administered through the Pelican tournament, with 27 of those coming back positive. Of those 27 positive tests, 18 came during pre-tournament testing (before players left for the tournament).
In addition to pre-testing, players and caddies are also being tested on-site at the Volunteers of American Classic.
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