Swedish Golfer Hopes To Swing Season into Gear at Unique Brickyard Crossing
September 23, 2019 | By Zach Horrall, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Pernilla Lindberg has been on the LPGA Tour for 10 years, won a major tournament, competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and won multiple international competitions for her homeland of Sweden. But she concedes she has never seen anything like the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course.
“When I came here the first time and I had been told that four of the holes were inside the track, I had a hard time picturing what that was going to look like,” she said. “But this place is so big, and it’s just unique. You don’t see this anywhere else. It’s pretty cool, even though all these big stands are empty when we’re here and all the flags are up top, it’s actually really cool.”
This Thursday through Sunday, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host 132 of the best professional female golfers on one of the most unique courses on Earth in the Indy Women in Tech Championship driven by Group1001.
When the LPGA descends upon Brickyard Crossing, the full field of participants will face challenges rarely seen on other courses.
Most notably, Lindberg says Brickyard Crossing offers a unique mix of long and short holes and a little bit of risk versus reward. Lindberg expects this weekend to be a methodical tournament that tests a player’s full abilities.
“The course tests all the clubs in your bag, because you have some shorter holes and some longer holes,” she said. “It’s a good mix out there. You don’t necessarily hit with a driver off every tee box. I see on a lot of courses we play that as soon as you get to a tee, you’re using a driver everywhere to try to get the ball down there. Here, it’s a little more about placement on certain holes, so you have to think your way around the course a little more.”
Also, the golf course that stretches along the back straightaway and inside the historic 2.5-mile oval has four par-5 holes that Lindberg says will challenge players but give them the chance to take a risk.
“The par-5’s are all somewhat reachable if you’re a longer hitter, but they’re all risk versus reward, so you have to weigh your options if it’s worth going for the par-5’s or not,” she said. “If you’re playing great, you can really take advantage of them, but you can also get in some trouble, which is kind of fun.”
Lindberg, 33, speaks of the challenges of Brickyard Crossing from the knowledge of competing in the first two editions of the event. Last year she finished tied for 44th, but she hopes the continuity of playing at the same course three years in a row will help her.
“I haven’t had the success I wanted here the first two times here, but it’s not been so much in course management, but in me not playing so well,” she said. “So, I feel like I come in with a little better form this year and be more ready to tee it off. It’s just the little tweaks that you feel more and more familiar with.”
Lindberg is in the middle of what she says “has probably been one of my worst seasons so far” after a successful 2018 season that saw her earn her first career LPGA victory, the ANA Inspiration, one of the tour’s major tournaments. Her best finish this season is a tie for 23rd at the Kia Classic in late March at Carlsbad, California.
This weekend’s event in Indianapolis comes after a three-week break in the tour. Feeling refreshed, Lindberg hopes the Indy Women in Tech Championship can be a turning point for her season.
“We’ve had a little break and a few weeks off, and I really got some good practice in,” she said. “I’ve been working with my coach, and I really feel good about my game. I’m excited to be playing again, and that will start next week here.”
See the stars of the LPGA in action this weekend at the Indy Women in Tech Championship driven by Group1001 at Brickyard Crossing. The tournament will feature a field of 132 players competing for a $2 million purse. Buy tickets now or view the full entry list!