IN an outstanding performance filled with so much significance, Bianca Pagdanganan virtually clicked on all cylinders yesterday (Sunday in the US), scoring a fiery final round 65 to end up in a two-way tie for second at the close of the Ascendant LPGA Benefiting Volunteers of America at The Colony, Texas.
Except for a bogey on No. 3, Pagdanganan sizzled especially on the back, gunning down six birdies for her best score at the par-71, 6,475-yard course located 45.22 kilometers northwest of Houston.
The 2019 Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist had a four-round tally of 275, netting $143,411 (around P8.3 million) while finishing four shots behind South Korean wire-to-wire champion Hyo Joo-kim, who had a final round 69 and 271 total to pocket the top prize of $270,000 (P15.34 million).
Pagdanganan’s compatriot, Dottie Ardina, slumped to a 73 and had a 72-hole score of 284, finishing in a five-way deadlock for 24th and earning $16,746 (P952,000).
After struggling for the most part of the 2023 season on the US LPGA tour, Pagdanganan has now earned a total of P14.7 million in back-to-back legs, counting the P6.3 million she won when she finished tied for third in the Walmart Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Arkansas last week.
Her strong straight outing augurs well in her bid to regain her LPGA tour card following a miserable 2022 season, as explained by Golf Digest writer Keely Levins in an article posted on the popular American golf website yesterday.
“Speaking of Pagdanganan, the 25-year-old’s share of second comes a week after finishing T-3 in Arkansas. It is a great two-week stretch for anyone, but it’s especially impressive for anyone who doesn’t have LPGA status,” Levins wrote.
“After her T-3 finish in Arkansas, she moved up to No. 89 on the CME points list, which is critical as the top 100 players get LPGA cards for the following season. With this top finish, she is projected to move inside the top 60, which would secure a spot in the CME Group Tour Championship if she can remain there through November,” the writer explained.
On top of these possibilities, Pagdanganan also bolstered her chances of making it to the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
