Big-hitting Pagdanganan grinds out gritty 70, stays in US Women’s Open hunt
MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan proved she has the spine for major championship golf, overcoming a mid-round collapse with a display of pure grit to card a one-under 70. She thus kept herself firmly in the hunt after the opening round of the $12-million US Women’s Open in Pacific Palisades, California on Thursday (Friday Manila time).
The big-hitting Filipina ace showcased both her explosive scoring power and her newfound resilience at the challenging Riviera Country Club. Starting steady with four consecutive pars, Pagdanganan ignited a brilliant three-birdie blitz from No. 5, briefly turning the marquee championship on its head and surging into the early conversation during the afternoon wave.
But Riviera’s unforgiving par-71 layout rarely yields easy birdie sprees, and it quickly bit back.
Pagdanganan’s blistering momentum ground to a halt with a double-bogey on the eighth, followed by another dropped stroke on No. 10. Suddenly back to even par, the ICTSI-backed star refused to fold. She flashed her trademark resiliency, firing back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 13 to thrust herself right back into the tournament's Top 8.
A missed up-and-down on the par-3 14th, however, cost her another bogey, but Pagdanganan dug deep when it mattered most. She steadied the ship with a clutch run of pars over the final four holes, settling for a 34-36 round.
Despite the shaky 11-hole stretch, Pagdanganan’s red-figure finish secured her a highly impressive joint 14th spot — just four strokes off the pace.
Jennifer Kupcho holds the solo lead after a sizzling 66. Chasing her second major title after winning the 2022 Chevron Championship, the American launched her day with three consecutive birdies from No. 1.
Despite stumbling with two bogeys, Kupcho stayed in command by racking up four more birdies, including three on the back nine, to finish at five-under.
But a formidable chasing pack led by former major champion Sei Young Kim, who fired a 67. Japan's Hinako Shibuno, the 2019 Open winner, birdied three of her last 11 holes to post a 68, joining Gaby Lopez, Minji Kang, Hyunjo Koo and Solaire ambassadress Ina Yoon in a tie for third.
Also lurking in close striking distance at 69 are Patty Tavatanakit, Jiyai Shin, Nasa Hataoka, Minjee Lee, Karis Davidson and Ruoning Yin.
Meanwhile, the world’s absolute best found Riviera to be a brutal test. World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul both struggled with identical 73s, while Hyo Joo Kim wavered with a 74.
With the game's top-ranked troika expected to find their footing and fight back on Friday (Saturday Manila time), Pagdanganan's gritty opening act ensures she is right where she needs to be ahead of the crucial Moving Day cut.
But while she kept the country’s hopes alive in the world’s most prestigious major championship, her ICTSI teammates Yuka Saso and Pauline del Rosario faltered with over-par rounds, leaving them on the brink of an early exit after carding a 77 and 78, respectively.
Saso, a two-time champion of this event whose game has hit a rough patch this season, managed just one birdie in a round marred by five bogeys and a double bogey. Her six-over-par finish dropped her into a tie for 136th place.
Having missed the cut in her last three LPGA tournaments, Saso appears headed for a fourth straight setback as she continues to search for the elite form that once made her the talk of the clubhouse.
Starting her round at the backside, the Fil-Japanese bogeyed the 10th, a miscue that foreshadowed another challenging day. She dropped another stroke on No. 13 and double-bogeyed the 15th. While she momentarily halted the skid with a birdie on the par-5 No. 17, she struggled again after making the turn, bogeying the second, fifth and seventh holes to finish with a 39-38 card.
Meanwhile, del Rosario showed early promise in her major championship debut, opening with four gutsy pars on the back nine. However, she bogeyed the par-3 14th and bogeyed the next. Though she showed fight with a birdie on No. 17, a double bogey on the next saw her match Saso’s opening 39.
It was more of the same on the front nine for del Rosario, the Epson Tour standout who earned her major berth by winning a sectional qualifier playoff. She bogeyed the third hole and finished with a disastrous double bogey-bogey skid from No. 7 to close with another 39 and fell to joint 144th in the 156-player field.
With the 36-hole cut projected at two-over par, both Saso and del Rosario will need nothing short of spectacular second rounds to salvage their weekend hopes in the marquee championship.
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