The Dana Open marked Lindy Duncan’s fourth LPGA Tour start of the season, and the 32-year-old made the most of her latest opportunity. He finished at 15-under (269) and tied for third at Highland Meadow Golf Club.
Duncan opened with a quick birdie before missing a shot on his third hole, but quickly recovered with birdies on No. 4 and No. 8 to turn the round in 32. He added four more birdies on the back nine to post a final-round 65. Her final-round 65 tied for the third-lowest score of her LPGA Tour career; He last shot 65 at the 2022 Ascendant LPGA to benefit the Volunteers of America.
„I made a good birdie on the first hole. It was about 10 feet. It’s always good to start with a birdie and a good putt,” Duncan said. „I just trusted my read. My pace was pretty good today. So putting everything together, you’re getting close to it.”
„It was day two, I hit a lot of fairways and greens, I hit a lot of close approaches. I had a lot of chances and my putter helped me out a lot. So, I just tried to keep a good pace going.”
Saturday was a rain delay, with players struggling to avoid big numbers, and Duncan was no different, having to mentally prepare for the final round knowing he would have to put up low scores to catch the leader.
„Yesterday was a very long day,” Duncan said. „After the rain delay, it rained hard and when I came out, I was struggling on the green with a lot of speed. I didn’t drop anything on the back nine, and even though I was still in it, hit it really well. I think I can see myself going in a couple of putts today. Hope so. I worked on a couple of things in the warm-up and I felt really good. That’s really going to carry over into today. But I thought I’m going to eat it. Had a lot of lip outs yesterday so dropped a couple today.”
This week was Duncan’s sixth appearance at the Dana Open and his best performance in Sylvania, Ohio. In his five previous starts, he had missed the cut twice, and before today, his best finish in 2016 was 23rd. Competing on the Epson Tour this year, he has three top-10 finishes in four starts on the season. A top runner-up finish at the Inova Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship in May.
„It’s great. Especially in the final round to play well,” Duncan said. „I struggled in the first round of this tournament. I was 2 over through 11 holes or something. I was just kind of grinding. I saw a couple go by. So, yeah, you have to be persistent and wait for your opportunities. I think I did pretty well with that. „
A week on the LPGA Tour can make all the difference in the world for a low-status player, and this $116,401 cash will no doubt help Duncan, so expect to see more Americans on the LPGA Tour in 2023.
„I’ve had a lot of time to think because I haven’t had full status for a few years,” he said, „so I’ve been thinking about a lot of things, and I love the game, so I’ve kept it. In it.”
„Całkowity introwertyk. Nieprzejednany specjalista od sieci. Przyjazny fanatyk bekonu. Student ekstremalnych. Miłośnik piwa. Organizator.”