Lindy Duncan closed with a 1-under 69 on a cold, blustery Saturday at The Annika to lead by one stroke heading into Sunday.
The Story
Lindy Duncan made 17 pars in a bogey-free round on a cold, blustery Saturday at The Annika to post a 1-under 69 and move to a one-shot lead, with a chance to win on the LPGA Tour for the first time.
Duncan finished on 13-under 197, and her lone birdie came with a 7-iron to 18 feet on the 12th hole. She also made a 3-footer for par after nearly holed a 50-foot putt on the closing stretch.
Hye-Jin Choi entered the day tied for the lead but missed the 18th green to the left, then managed to get down in three for a bogey and a 70.
Greens at Pelican Golf Club played defensively, with pins in difficult positions. Carlota Ciganda, who shared the 54-hole lead with Choi and Duncan, three-putted five times, including on the 18th, an outcome that helped Duncan.
The 18th hole proved costly for multiple players as the wind pushed play back. Duncan hit an 8-iron from a more forward tee and left pin during the opening round when scoring was lower, then on Saturday used a 5-wood from 192 yards and was uncertain it would clear the water.
Other results included Minami Katsu, who had two balls in the water and finished with a 75 that included a triple bogey, and Nelly Korda, who three-putted down a ridge for a bogey to post a 71 and sit six shots back. Korda, who can qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame with a victory, had a double bogey on the sixth and a shot that landed on the tee on the par-5 seventh after aiming toward the tee box on No. 4.
Yuri Yoshida played alongside Korda and shot a 67, leaving her two shots behind. Ina Yoon posted a 69 to move three back, and Haeran Ryo, who improved from eight shots behind to four back, carded a 65.
The final round was described as the end of a tournament where Duncan had one more day of dry weather and firmer greens remaining, while she also remains ineligible for the CME Group Tour Championship next week and can make it with a strong finish. Choi, meanwhile, said she would focus on concentrating to the end after rebounding from earlier bogeys.
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