The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America marks Lindy Duncan’s eighth LPGA Tour start this season and, so far, the 31-year-old is making the most of her latest opportunity. She’s -8 through two rounds at Old American Golf Club, backing up an opening 69 with a bogey-free, 6-under 65 on Friday in The Colony, Texas. She sits in solo fourth, three back of the lead held by England’s Charley Hull. The 65 ties the third-lowest score of her LPGA Tour career – she last shot 65 at the 2021 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give – and has bolstered Duncan’s confidence as she looks to chase down her first Tour title over the weekend.
“The front nine was good. I had a lot of good numbers and my caddie and I were just seeing a lot of the same shots. He asked me if I was committed before a lot of my shots, and I felt good,” said Duncan, who made back-to-back birdies on holes one and two and then again on holes five and six to turn in 31. “It was definitely a good front nine and a solid back nine. I feel like my game is trending and feel a lot of confidence in my game. It's a good feeling.”
This is Duncan’s seventh time playing The Ascendant LPGA. In her six previous starts, she’s missed just one cut and earned a career-best solo-second finish in 2018. This year, Duncan has spent most of her time competing on the Epson Tour, carding three top-15 finishes in 14 starts, but lately she’s been teeing it up on the LPGA Tour, playing in five events since the end of August. In those five appearances, Duncan has missed two cuts, earned one top ten – a tie for ninth that came at the CP Women’s Open, highlighted by a career-low 9-under, 62 in the second round – and finished T60 at the AmazingCre Portland Classic. Heading into the weekend in the Lone Star State, Duncan is looking to conjure up more of the magic she had during her week in Canada, especially with valuable CME points up for grabs.
“Somewhere around middle of June I started feeling pretty good. I was playing some good rounds on the Epson Tour and I got a break. I got into Canada and took advantage of it. I played really nicely and wasn't expecting to play this stretch of tournaments because I was quite far down the alternate list,” said Duncan. “Definitely been a lot of questions and doubts and having to work through that has been a new challenge, one that I didn't really want to go through, didn't feel ready for it. Just really focused on trying to get better and the results are going to be what they're going to be.”
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