Lincicome leads before thunderstorms

A teenager was in tears Thursday at the U.S. Women's Open .

It wasn't the pressure of playing in the biggest event of the year against the best in women's golf. It wasn't a big number or a bad round.

And no, it wasn't Michelle Wie.

Brittany Lincicome, 18, simply didn't know what else to do when she hit out of the rough and under the trees at the 15th hole and watched a perfectly played 7-iron disappear into the cup for an eagle, sending her to a record-tying round of 5-under 66 and a one-shot lead when darkness finally fell at Orchards Golf Club.

So she cried.

"I looked at my dad and started bawling," said Lincicome, a 6-foot blonde with a ponytail and engaging smile. "I could not stop. I walked all the way to the green, my mom started crying, and then I started crying even more. Don't look at your mom when you're crying."

Typical teen, huh?

There was nothing unusual about someone so young winding up atop the leaderboard in the rain-delayed first round, not in this environment of kids refusing to act their age, and not at this Open that has a record 16 teens in the field.

The only surprise was that it was Lincicome, who never even tried to qualify for a Women's Open until last month. Then, she upstaged the 14-year-old Wie, 17-year-old Paula Creamer and even the top pros.

Thunderstorms suspended play for three hours, leaving Annika Sorenstam among 75 players who had to return Friday morning to finish the first round.

Sorenstam was at 2 under with three holes to play. Beth Daniel was at 3 under with six holes remaining.

Patricia Meunier-LeBouc, the '03 Kraft Nabisco champion with a 4-month-old daughter, birdied the final four holes for a 67, twice holing 25-foot putts.

Only five other players from the early starters broke par in calm conditions that turned nasty with dark clouds, thunder and rain that swamped the Orchards.

Not even the loud claps of thunder could shake Lincicome from this dream.

"I'm still in shock," she said.

Everyone missed most of Lincicome's sterling back nine. They were all following Wie, who recovered from a double-bogey on the par-3 fifth by hitting a 5-wood from 220 yards into 9 feet for eagle on her final hole for a 71.

"It could have been a lot worse today, and that eagle really got me on the right foot for tomorrow," she said.

Creamer, a senior-to-be who was second and 12th the last two weeks on the LPGA Tour, was 3 over through 10 holes but recovered for a 72.

Grace Park , who has finished first and third in the other two majors this year, and two-time Women's Open champion Juli Inkster were among those at even-par 71.

Defending champion Hilary Lunke showed plenty of heart. She was 4 over after four holes, about what everyone imagined from a short hitter on a course playing every bit of its 6,473 yards. But Lunke buckled down with birdies, and a bogey on the 18th hole left her with a respectable 72.

Still, the day belonged to a teen who might soon be making headlines of her own.

She has watched kids younger than her play in the Women's Open (Morgan Pressel), nearly win on the LPGA Tour (Creamer) and even compete against the men (Wie). Lincicome knew she had just as much game, even if not many people outside the junior arena knew who she was.

"I figured that one of these days, if I proved myself, then people would notice who I was," she said. "I wasn't really worried. Michelle Wie and everyone gets way more press. But I figured if you play good here, then it will come to me."

Lincicome started playing as a kid when her father let her tag along at a lighted par 3 course, and it wasn't long before she started collecting trophies. On the junior circuit, she has a rivalry with Creamer, and both played on the Junior Solheim Cup team in Sweden last summer.

But in today's climate of kids taking on adults, Lincicome was patient. This was the first year she even tried to qualify for the Women's Open, and she was the co-medalist at Heathrow, Fla.

"I wanted to wait and make sure I was ready," she said. "I didn't want to come in and not be at the top of my game. And I would say I'm ready."

But she was not quite prepared for such an amazing round.

Lincicome was over the moon with her eagle, an improbable score considering she drove left into the rough and had a tree blocking her approach to the green. She hit a soft, low 7-iron under the limbs and into the cup.

Tom Lincicome, her father and caddie, gave her a hug and she started to cry.

Why the tears?

"Shocked," she said. "I couldn't believe I was that much under par."

Wie was fortunate to finish at par. She birdied her second hole and was cruising right along until trying to get too cute with a 7-iron on the par-3 fifth. It went way left into the trees, and Wie had no choice but to declare it unplayable and return to the tee for her third shot. She had to make a 6-footer for double bogey. She went to 2 over with a bogey on No. 8 by driving left into the trees. But all was forgiven at the end.

"I'm trying to be 1 under every day," she said. "I'm one off. I just have to shoot 2 under tomorrow."

She might have to do better than that to win, let alone be the queen of the teens at this Women's Open.

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