BELLEAIR, Fla. (AP) — Lindy Duncan made 17 pars in a bogey-free round, just the way she planned it on a cold, blustery Saturday at The Annika, and wound up with a 1-under 69 and a one-shot lead with a chance to finally win on the LPGA Tour.
The final act was 50-foot putt over a green that looked more like bunny slopes, three ridges to cover. Duncan nearly holed it and then rapped in a 3-footer for a par to polish off a clean card.
“Today was a really tough day with the wind,” Duncan said. “The greens firm up, so I was really just trying to hit the ball in spots where you could at least hit the green or have a reasonable chip.”
Hye-Jin Choi was tied for the lead until she missed the 18th green to the left and did well to get down in three for a bogey and a 70.
Duncan, who made her debut at Solheim Cup at age 35 and is making her 222nd career start on the LPGA Tour without winning, was at 13-under 197. Her lone birdie was a 7-iron to 18 feet on No. 12.
Greens are the defense at Pelican Golf Club, and some of the pins were in their toughest positions. Carlota Ciganda, who shared the 54-hole lead with Choi and Duncan, three-putted five times, including the 18th.
That was a big help to Duncan, who was roughly on the same line as Ciganda.
“I also thought she hit it a lot harder and it didn't go that far past, so I definitely think seeing her putt helped make mine a little easier,” Duncan said. “For that one to kind of skim the edge was pretty cool.”
The 18th took a toll on just about everyone, playing all the way back into the wind. Duncan, with a more forward tee and left pin, hit 8-iron in the opening round of low scoring. On Saturday, she hit 5-wood from 192 yards and wasn't sure it would clear the water.
Minami Katsu put two in the water and finished her round of 75 with a triple bogey. Nelly Korda three-putted down the ridge for a bogey that gave her a 71 and left her six shots behind. Korda can qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame with a victory.
She wasn't at her best on Saturday. Korda took a double bogey on the sixth hole by going over the green into the pine straw, chipping over a ridge and down a ridge and off the green and taking three to get down from there. On the par-5 seventh, she was so far to the right she chose to aim toward the tee box on No. 4. It was good as any shot she hit all day, the shot landing on the tee.
Duncan has one more day of dry weather and firmer greens to get her first win, and plenty of players lined up behind her.
Yuri Yoshida, who won her first LPGA title during the recent Asia swing, played alongside Korda and had a 67, leaving her two shots back. Ina Yoon of South Korea (69) was three behind and double major winner Haeran Ryo went from eight shots behind to four back with a Saturday-low 65.
Two players, Solheim Cup player Mimi Rhodes and Brianna Do, failed to break 80.
Along with trying to win, Duncan still is not eligible for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship next week, where the winner of the top 60 players who qualify gets $2 million. A strong finish, even without winning, gets her there.
Choi has no such concerns about the season finale. She just wants to win, and two runner-up finishes during the Asia swing helps her confidence. Choi also has shown some resilience from bad starts — three bogeys in the opening five holes, and she again stayed in the game.
“I'm just going to try to concentrate to the end,” Choi said.
See AP’s full golf coverage here
Hye-Jin Choi, of South Korea, watches her tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round for the The Annika LPGA golf tournament Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Belleair, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Lindy Duncan watches her tee shot in the 15th hole during the first round for the The Annika LPGA golf tournament Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, in Belleair, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers face Joe Burrow and the Bengals with first place in the AFC North at stake.
The Sunday night matchup is the only primetime game in Week 9 featuring two winning teams.
Rodgers outplayed Burrow in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 victory in Week 3. The Steelers (6-2) have won four straight and are coming off a bye. The Bengals (6-2) also have won four in a row and are back after a trip to Spain, where they beat Atlanta.
That’s an advantage for Pittsburgh.
Burrow is 4-4 in his career against the Steelers.
The Bengals are 3½-point favorites. Pro Picks sees a close game after kicking off the week with a loss when the Commanders beat the Giants 24-21 on Thursday night.
BENGALS: 24-23
Line: Lions minus 2½
Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez struggled in a lopsided loss at home to Green Bay. The Patriots need their QB and star cornerback to play well to have a chance against Detroit. Jared Goff’s streak of 30 consecutive regular-season games with at least one TD pass ended last week in a win at Miami. The Lions have won five straight games after a 1-2 start.
LIONS: 26-22
Line: Bills minus 8½
Buffalo has won five straight in this series and 10 of 12 since 2020. Josh Allen has 21 TDs combined passing and rushing this season. The Bills have played much better defense the past two weeks. Jets rookie edge rusher David Bailey has 7½ sacks and five forced fumbles in eight games.
BILLS: 24-17
Line: Saints minus 2½
Two losing teams battling for first place is common in the weak NFC South. The Panthers are reeling following three straight losses. But QB Bryce Young has played some of his best football this season. He’ll face plenty of pressure from the Saints. Chase Young and Carl Granderson have combined for 15½ sacks. New Orleans swept the series last year after Tyler Shough took over as starting QB.
UPSET SPECIAL: PANTHERS: 23-20
Line: Texans minus 4½
C.J. Stroud has 16 TD passes with only two interceptions and the Texans have won three of four after an 0-4 start. A defense that sacked Justin Herbert eight times could have a big day against an offensive line that’s allowed 38 sacks. Shedeur Sanders played well last week filling in, but Deshaun Watson will start. The Browns are 3-0 at home and begin a stretch of four straight in front of the Dawg Pound.
TEXANS: 20-17
Line: Jaguars minus 10½
The Jaguars were aggressive at the trade deadline, bolstering a defense that’s allowed just 15.1 points per game. Trevor Lawrence leads an offense that’s fourth in scoring (28.6 points). The Titans are coming off a bye following an impressive performance by Cam Ward in an overtime loss to the Bengals. But they traded another top defensive player, sending safety Amani Hooker to Buffalo. The Jaguars swept the season series in each of the last two years.
JAGUARS: 30-16
Line: Chiefs minus 3
Patrick Mahomes has a new receiver after the Chiefs acquired Josh Downs. He'll need him feven more this week ater Kenneth Walker III was ruled out with a groin injury on Saturday. Walker already had five 100-yard rushing games in the first eight. The Falcons have All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, who leads the NFL with 880 yards rushing in one more game played than Walker. Atlanta has lost four of five, traded Bates and is coming off a game in Spain.
BEST BET: CHIEFS: 26-17
Line: Colts minus 3½
Kyle McCord will make his first career start for the Dolphins, who placed Malik Willis on injured reserve this week. The Colts traded Downs and Keenan Allen but Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor remain in Indianapolis. They’ll need some receivers to step up. Shane Steichen is coaching for his job after losing 14 of 16 going back to last season.
COLTS: 22-16
Line: Packers minus 3½
Kirk Cousins is back with the Vikings. He played for Kevin O’Connell in 2022-23 so he knows the offense. Minnesota has a championship-caliber defense and hopes Cousins can fix its offensive woes. Jordan Love was nearly flawless last week at New England and leads the NFL in passing. Green Bay’s Christian Watson and Matthew Golden are Nos. 3 and 4 in yards receiving. The Packers are last in the competitive NFC North despite a .667 winning percentage. The Vikings won the first matchup in Week 1.
PACKERS: 23-22
Line: Rams minus 9½
Matthew Stafford won’t have Puka Nacua for at least a month and Davante Adams is already out, so the Rams will need to rely more on Kyren Williams and the run game along with a stout defense. Myles Garrett had three sacks in his first game back and he’ll be going against a QB making his NFL debut. Rookie Carson Beck replaces Gardner Minshew, who was placed on injured reserve. Beck won’t have top receiver Michael Wilson, who also went on IR. The Cardinals beat the Rams 18-16 in Los Angeles last month but coach Sean McVay is 16-4 vs. Arizona.
RAMS: 26-13
Line: Seahawks minus 6½
Drew Lock fills in again for Sam Darnold while No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza makes his first career start going against the defending Super Bowl champions. It’ll be a difficult matchup for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Mendoza, who led Indiana to a national championship, faces the league’s top-ranked defense.
SEAHAWKS: 23-13
Line: 49ers minus 4½
The 49ers added another veteran receiver in Allen to join their injury-riddled group that could start seeing guys return. That’ll be a big boost for an offense led by Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffery and George Kittle. The up-and-down Cowboys haven’t been consistent enough on offense or defense. They can score plenty of points and give them up, too.
49ERS: 30-27
Line: Ravens minus 4½
The winless Chargers have to win a game eventually. Justin Herbert is having a miserable season but he’s too talented to go 0-17. The Ravens have lost four straight and are turning to Jacoby Brissett after losing Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to injuries and giving Joe Fagnano his first career start.
RAVENS: 23-20.
Last week: Straight up: 14-1. Against spread: 10-5.
Overall: Straight up: 90-46-1. Against spread: 77-57-3.
Best Bet: Straight up: 6-3. Against spread: 5-4.
Upset Special: Straight up: 4-5. Against spread: 4-5.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) celebrates scoring a touchdown during an NFL football game against Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
