Life on Tour can be hectic and, like most of 2020, anything but traditional, but once a year, these players get to spend the holidays at home with food and family. We caught up with LPGA Tour players Ally McDonald, Brittany Lincicome, Sierra Brooks, and Minjee Lee to chat about their plans for the holiday season and their favorite Thanksgiving traditions.

For Ally McDonald, it’s all about Celebration

The Traditions

“We do lunch with my mom’s side of the family, dinner with my dad’s side of the family, and that’s just kind of been what we’ve always done. One thing I’m really adamant about is no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. It has to be post-Thanksgiving for me to listen to Christmas music. I just enjoying Thanksgiving and the holiday I celebrate with my family. I don’t want to bypass it and go straight to Christmas.”

The Food

“I’m a fan of chicken and dressings; that’s something my family has always done. We always have a big turkey, sweet potato casserole is big, but chicken and dressing is the thing that I look the most forward to every year. My grandmothers make a really good chicken and dressings, so it’s just always been something that I want to eat and want more of, and I want to take the leftovers home with me.”

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For Brittany Lincicome, it’s all about Family

The Traditions

“This is the first year that we’re not going to West Virginia to see my grandmother. We will be doing Thanksgiving at home this year, which is different, but just to get together as a family . . . I don’t get to see my family that often. They are all up in West Virginia, so just those few days out of the year in November that we get to go up there and see the rest of the family is just so great.”

The Food

“I feel like I gain ten pounds when I go up there because all I do is eat Grandmother’s cooking. My favorite Thanksgiving food is the corn casserole. It’s like this cornbread kind of thing. It’s delicious! This year, since my mom is cooking, she’s adding a meatloaf to it. I freaking love my mom’s meatloaf, so we’re going to do the traditional turkey and ham, but she’s going to add a small meatloaf in there for me.”

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For Sierra Brooks, it’s all about Togetherness

The Traditions

“We’ve just been simple with our Thanksgiving holiday traditions, so we’re just getting the family together and celebrating and visiting all our family members. I just think that the togetherness of it and just getting back with the family is what it’s all about, and I’m looking forward to being able to do that.”

The Food

“I’m big into the stuffing and the sweet potato casserole. My grandma always brings over an unbelievable sweet potato casserole, but it’s not even part of the meal, it’s like dessert. But like I said before, getting to share that with the family is awesome.”

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For Minjee Lee, it’s all about Trying Something New

The Traditions

“I’ve never really been in the US for Thanksgiving, so this will be my first time. I’m think I’m going to have Thanksgiving with my housing in Texas; they’re like my away-from-home parents. I don’t think we have an equivalent in Australia. There’s a Korean Thanksgiving. All the food that they make for that time of the year is, like, amazing. I love it.”

The Food

“They make these pancake things—buchimgae—with all different flavors, and you can put whatever meats you want in it, so that’s probably one of my favorites. It’s actually not that hard to make, but my grandma makes it a lot, so I like it.”

Bonus Recipe

Ryan O’Toole’s Garbanzo Bean Salad

2 Stalks of Celery

6 Cans of Garbanzo Beans

3 Stalks of Green Onion

1 Small Garlic Bulb

1 Bottle of Italian Dressing

Combine and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Pepper to taste.

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