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Less than 48 hours after Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston withdrew from the British Masters citing ‘unease’ over the current situation surrounding COVID-19, Brittany Lincicome has revealed that she will skip next month’s AIG Women’s Open for similar reasons.

The two-time major champion told the BBC’s World Service that she won’t be making the transatlantic journey to play at Royal Troon because she doesn’t feel safe traveling internationally with her baby daughter.

“I’m so bummed, my heart breaks not to go,” said Lincicome, 34. “This is my 16th year I think on tour and I’m not sure I’ve ever missed the British Open which is a huge event, it’s one that I never want to miss. 

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“Just to not be on the charter [flight] and have to fly commercially with all the other passengers, with Emery it just didn’t seem safe, I just didn’t feel comfortable.

“We’re just going to stick with domestic events in the beginning and then see where we go from there but I am so bummed to be missing that event.”

The LPGA emerges from its coronavirus-enforced hiatus next week with back-to-back events in Ohio.

Meanwhile, Michelle Wie has been named one of the vice-captains for the US Solheim Cup team that will look to wrestle back the trophy at Inverness Golf Club next September.

Wie, a veteran of five Solheim Cup teams, hasn’t played since the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June 2019 after injury and then pregnancy sidelined her. 

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With qualifying for the US side looking unlikely, the 30-year-old reached out to US skipper Pat Hurst to ask to be one of her assistants.

“She said, ‘If you haven’t picked your assistants, would you please consider me?’” explained Hurst. “I told her, ‘You know what, we’ll be chatting soon enough. Give me a little bit of time.’ So, I called her up and we set up an appointment to talk.

“She’s very patriotic, loves the red, white and blue just like I do, and her intensity is there. All the players love her. They respect her. That’s what I need.”


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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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