A little girl, about nine years old and dressed in pink plaid, stood beside the 18th tee at Whirlwind’s Cattail Course. Her dad figured the golf course was the only classroom she needed on a beautiful Friday. When she saw Charley Hull approach, her face lit up.
“Dad!” she said, tugging at his shirt.
As Hull walked onto the tee, the girl clasped her hands together in adoration. The players teed off. The girl followed every step. All three members of Hull’s group made birdie.
Round 1 of the LPGA’s Ford Championship presented by Wildhorse Pass produced 16 bogey-free rounds, with more than half the field shooting in the 60s. Hot temperatures and calm skies made Whirlwind’s Cattail Course feel like a dome. Round 2 brought firmer bounces and trickier pins.
Lydia Ko, who opened with a career-low 60—a tournament record—made bogey on her first hole Friday. South Korea’s Kyo Joo Kim, who shot 61 in Round 1, did the same.
After an opening three-under 69, it felt inevitable that world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul would go low. She eagled her third hole and added three more birdies before the turn.
Playing alongside Lindy Duncan and the ever-animated Hull, Thitikul’s calm stood out. Her movements—smooth, deliberate, almost Tai Chi-like—contrasted sharply with Hull’s caffeinated energy.
But as the round wore on, her cross-handed putting stroke grew tentative on the slick greens. Birdie looks came up short, leaving uncomfortable par saves. Despite striking it well, her back nine stalled: eight pars and a closing bogey. Three-under on the day. Six-under for the tournament. Work left for the weekend.
The loudest cheers followed Hull, dressed in olive tones, tucking her aviators into the back of her skirt before every shot. But her round unraveled before the turn. After nearly reaching the par-5 17th in two, she made bogey, three-putting from 20 feet. From there, she never looked comfortable over a putt. She finished the tournament at two-under, three short of a historically low cut.
Earlier in the week, the LPGA released its Drive On series, featuring Duncan in the first episode. She’s the definition of a grinder—knocked down by the game, but never out.
At Q-Series, she made an 8 on the final hole to miss her card by one shot. In her Drive On piece, she speaks openly about nearly walking away, about journaling, seeking advice, and ultimately choosing to rebuild her game. Now, Duncan has become an unlikely source of inspiration.
On Friday, she was paired with the world No. 1 and one of the game’s biggest stars—and outplaying both.
As she walked the fairways, she pulled a sun gaiter over her face.
“Who is Duncan?” one fan asked, peering at the standard bearer’s scoreboard.
But momentum slipped away. Chances came and putts slid by. Seven straight pars to finish. Duncan heads into the weekend at eight-under, still within reach.
On the other side of the course, Jenny Bae marched toward the 18th green with purpose. The 24-year-old stood at 13-under with a 20-footer to take the clubhouse lead.
The day before, on the par-3 6th, she flushed a 9-iron from 152 yards. From her angle, she couldn’t see the hole—just the slope obscuring the pin. Then came the reaction: fans jumping, cheering.
“I didn’t get to see it, which kind of sucks,” she said, candidly. She didn’t get much time to celebrate the ace, either—an early Friday tee time followed.
Her birdie try on 18 missed, but she tapped in to complete a bogey-free round. The three-time Epson Tour winner will chase her first LPGA victory this weekend.
By early afternoon, the mercury hit 100. The ball was flying and the day belonged to Nelly Korda.
After a long drive on the par-5 2nd, she missed the green with a mid-iron but got up and down to spark her round. Three more birdies followed on the front, then an eagle at the 12th. On the par-4 16th, she nearly holed her second. A seven-under 65 tied for low round of the day. At 16-under, Korda takes a two-shot lead into the weekend.
Ko and Kim, meanwhile, cooled off after their record-setting starts. They shot one-under and three-under, respectively. Kim sits two shots back in second and Ko enters the weekend alongside Bae and Minami Katsu three back.
Saturday is moving day.
Let’s see who gets hot in the desert.
