At 35 years old, Lindy Duncan has put herself in a position she’s never enjoyed in trying to win her first LPGA Tour event—the outright lead heading into the final round.
Duncan shot a one-under 69 to take over the 54-hole lead in The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla. She leads by one over Hye-Jin Choi and two over Yuri Yoshida, who earned her first win at the BMW Championship last month.
“I’ve been playing a long time and I’ve been in positions to get close, and it’s a really cool feeling to be in the hunt,” Duncan said. “Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun.”
Duncan hit 12 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation. She made a 20-foot birdie putt on hole No. 11 for her lone birdie of the round. She was getting up and down for pars and she had a bogey-free round.
Perhaps her most impressive putt was her birdie attempt on the 18th green from about 45 feet. The ball went over several ridges and she got it close. She made the three-footer for par.
Duncan shot an eight under 62 on Thursday and followed up with a 66 on Friday to share the halfway lead. But on a cold and windy day Saturday, Haeran Ryu’s five under 65 was the low round of the day.
The weather was a factor.
“I think it makes you kind of slow down, which is good, because I think any time you start rushing you just kind of get out of your routine,” Duncan said. “I think it helped [caddie] Greg [Johnston] and I to kind of slow down and talk through things just maybe one more extra time. And then I hit a lot of great shots.”
Not only is Duncan looking for her first win, so is Choi, a Korean golfer who has nine career runner-up finishes without a win. South Korean Ina Yoon is in fourth place, three shots back after a third-round 69, and she’s also looking for her first career win. World No. 1 Nelly Korda is six shots back after a one over 71.
Secondary to a victory, Duncan is still trying to get into the CME Group Tour Championship next week. She’s in 74th place in the CME standings and needs to finish fifth or better to have a chance to get into the 60-player field that will play for an $11 million purse.
Last year, Duncan won the Heather Farr Perseverance Award, presented during CME week, and was the darling of the week with a heartwarming acceptance speech. She can use her newfound perspective Sunday.
“It’s not what happens, it’s how you respond,” Duncan said. “Trying to get one percent better at that is huge. I think my game is in a good spot, so I just try to go out and play my game and have fun with Greg.”
While Duncan’s year on the course hasn’t been as good as last year (she has just one top-10 this season after six last year), she was a captain’s pick for the Solheim Cup and a rookie in the star-studded event in the Netherlands. The U.S. didn’t win but Duncan enjoyed the experience.
And she’ll no doubt enjoy Sunday’s challenge.
“You learn so much,” Duncan said. “I think that’s the biggest thing, looking forward to the opportunity to learn.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
