Defending champion Brittany Lincicome praises Canadian Women’s Open

COQUITLAM, B.C. – Defending champion Brittany Lincicome has some high praise for the Canadian Women’s Open.

“It’s such a wonderful event and an event that I look forward to defending or not defending,” said Lincicome, preparing for the start of play Thursday. “I would never miss this event unless I broke a leg.”

Last year, Lincicome beat Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis by a stroke at Hillsdale in Mirabel, Quebec

“It is going to be a little easier defending (by) not playing the same golf course,” said Lincicome, coming off a second-place tie last week in the Safeway Classic in Oregon. “(It’s) not the same pressure. I haven’t played this golf course eight times back to back to back. It’s a little different.”

Top-ranked Yani Tseng tied for 11th last week, a promising sign after a string of poor finishes.

“I’m not really angry,” said Tseng, a three-time winner this year. “I feel more disappointed and feel upset a little bit. Every time I’m struggling, I’m kind of second-guessing myself.”

Unlike many in the strong field, Tseng is familiar with the Vancouver layout. She won her first pro tournament on the same links in 2007 while competing on the Canadian Women’s Tour.

“I was trying to get into the Canadian Open,” she recalled.

Wie won in 2010 at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was eighth last week, her first top-10 finish of the season.

“It’s been my toughest year so far,” Wie said. “But I think that I’ve really tried to see positives through it and done a good job with that. I’ve enjoyed every single week. Even though I didn’t play as well, I still try to take the positives out of it, because the game is tough enough without beating yourself up too much.”

She visited Vancouver’s Chinatown and other areas in a bid to experience the city’s culture.

“I’m loving it here,” she said. “It’s like Asian-food Heaven.”