Team US stars spill secrets ahead of Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Tampa

There was a strong Team USA Solheim Cup contingent in attendance at the first of the Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Tampa press conferences, with Lexi Thompson, Megan Khang, Brittany Lincicome and Marina Alex all revealing tactics that could give them an advantage over their opponents this week.

The innovative team event tees off on Friday 8 March at Feather Sound Country Club, with a stacked field of Ladies European Tour (LET) winners, LPGA winners and three Major winners. The world class field will team up with one amateur in a team for the first two days of the event, before the professionals battle it out on Sunday for the individual title.

With three of the four Americans making their Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF debut, it fell to Major champion, and former Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – New York winner Lexi Thompson, to explain exactly what her competitors will have in store this week.

“I’ve been able to play in a few of the Aramco Team Series events and it's not only a different format with it being a team event and an individual, but we also get to play with an amateur too,” said Thompson.

“Golf is such an individual sport, we don't often get the opportunity to play as a team. Even though we're still playing as an individual this week, we're rooting for the teammates alongside us.

“It's nice to give an amateur an inside look of like all our prep work on the course and how focused we are. They don't get in our way but they just love being out there with us in the heat of the moment.”

Recently appointed assistant captain of Team USA for the 2024 Solheim Cup, two-time Major winner Brittany Lincicome understands just how important home field advantage can be. Having won twice for Team USA in America, Lincicome is now relishing the opportunity to play so close to home.

“I have played this golf course many, many times – and since the redo two years ago, it's just even better. It's such an honour to have this event in my backyard, to be able to play 30 minutes from my house and to showcase my part of the world.”

“It might not look too intimidating off the tee but when you get around the greens, that's where the hard part is going to come and keeping it on the right side of the hole. Whoever can make the most putts I think is going to do well this week.”

Two-time LPGA Tour winner Marina Alex, sat alongside her Solheim Cup teammates, shared her secret that she has ‘peeked’ at the full field ahead of the event’s ‘draft’, where the captains select from the field pick their teams.

“There are some players that I'm familiar with, who I've played with over the course of the years in co-sanctioned LPGA and LET events. I know them and their game so it would be great to be able to pick someone that I know a little bit and I'm familiar with, but if not, there are some amazing talent in the field.”

Megan Khang is taking a different approach to many in what will be a fierce three days of competition at Feather Sound Country Club, attempting to relinquish the pressure by understanding that mistakes can happen, especially for an amateur.

“Whether it's my amateur or my other professionals I’m going to say hey, it’s okay, mistakes happen. We forget that golf is a perfectionist sport, but also a sport that you can't be perfect at.

“If we all just have a good time, it is going to feed into how we all play, so my strategy is to make it fun.”

The Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Tampa tees off at 8:30am ET at Feather Sound Country Club on Friday March 8, with 84 players and 28 amateurs making up the 28 teams who will do battle in sunny Tampa Bay.

To download high-res images files and a transcript of the press conference, click here.