Duke coming up big in North Carolina – Ken, not the Blue Devils

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson grabbed the pre-tournament headlines, and rightly so. One's already in the World Golf Hall of Fame and the other two have their feet in the door.

Ken Duke certainly does not have the same kind of marquee name. If the truth be told, though, he probably came into the Wachovia Championship with more momentum than any of those three.

After all, the 2006 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year has finished in the top 10 each of the last three weeks – highlighted by a solo second at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He's 27 under during that stretch, as well.

And after his second straight 70 at the Quail Hollow Club, Duke finds himself two shots off the pace set jointly by Woods, Singh and Arron Oberholser. Momentum and moxie are a potent combination, as the Hope, Ark., native can attest.

"This whole week is just feeding off the last few weeks and just been really hitting shots where I want to go," he said. "Today it was just going to be really survival, the cool, damp wind and rain and stuff, it's just tough.

"You've really got to watch what you do out there."

Duke started the second round quietly, which is not unlike his personality. The 38-year-old made noise on the back, though, with an eagle on the 10th hole and a pair of birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 from 27 inches and 9 feet, respectively.

That sizzling stretch on an unseasonably cool, gray day briefly moved Duke into a tie for the lead at 6 under. He gave two strokes back, though, with bogeys on Nos. 16 and 18, where he had to bail out left after finding a fairway bunker off the tee.

"It hit the bleachers somewhere," Duke said. "All I was hoping is it didn't go all the way to the water because I knew if I got in the bleachers I could get a drop right there and it wouldn't be an issue.

"I was trying to hit it over the left side just to get an angle at the front right pin, that's all. If I laid up on the right side it might have been a little difficult, lay it up plus hitting it to the pin."

All in all, the understated Duke likes flying under the radar. He is more comfortable fishing than fielding questions from the media, but on Friday in Charlotte, he followed the game's No. 1 player into the interview room.

Duke has already won $1,055,545 – which is just $57,062 less than his combined earnings on the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour prior to this season. He'll play in his first PLAYERS Championship next week, courtesy of a new invitation that goes to the previous year's Nationwide Tour leading money winner.

The father of two is solid in almost every aspect of the game, which he credits to the tutelage of Bob Toski. He ranks 26th in total driving, 37th in greens in regulation and 43rd in putting – which helps put him 20th in All-Around.

"I think everything has been clicking," Duke said. "I've been really driving it well and that's kind of my strength, just making some good swings. My tempo has been really, really good, and I feel like if I can keep it that way it's going to go exactly where I want.

"Obviously you've got to make a few putts, and I've done that here, as well."

If his strong play of late wasn't enough of a confidence-builder, Duke has previous success to draw on at Quail Hollow. The day after winning the Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs last year, he Monday qualified for last year's Wachovia Championship and tied for 14th.

That local knowledge, of sorts, enabled Duke to scale back his preparations a bit this week. The pressure of contention can wear on a player, and Duke needed to recharge so he only played nine holes before the Wachovia Championship began.

"With the way I've been playing I kind of looked at what I did last year and the way I've been playing and went about it that way," he said.

While the final pairing of Singh and Woods will command the bulk of the attention on Saturday afternoon, Duke will be playing two groups ahead with Jason Bohn. He knows he faces an uphill battle, but relishes the opportunity.

"You always want to compete against the best," Duke said. "I'm just trying to do what I have to do. You can't control what they do. I know if I can stay in there and keep plugging along and hit my shots, I think I'll be okay."

Provider:
Helen Ross / PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents