Pagdanganan falters, barely makes Portland Classic cut with 75
MANILA, Philippines -- Bianca Pagdanganan turned a promising start into another frustrating reminder of the inconsistency that has hampered her bid to establish herself as a competitive force on the LPGA Tour.
She limped to a three-over 75 on Friday (Saturday Manila time) to barely survive the cut in the Standard Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Oregon.
After opening with a brilliant 66 that put her in a share of second, just one stroke behind the lead, Pagdanganan unraveled with a nine-shot reversal that sent her tumbling down the leaderboard. Her two-round total of three-under 141 left her tied for 61st – now 11 shots behind leader Arpichaya Yubol.
The sharp swing from contender to survivor once again highlighted the volatility that has frustrated Pagdanganan throughout her LPGA career. The big-hitting Filipina has shown that she possesses the length and scoring ability to compete with the world’s best, but stretches of inconsistency have repeatedly prevented her from sustaining that level of play and have contributed to her losing her LPGA card and returning to the Epson Tour.
Pagdanganan never found the same rhythm that produced her opening-round 66.
The ICTSI-backed ace stumbled early, dropping shots on Nos. 3 and 5. Her power remained an asset as she answered with a birdie on the par-5 seventh, but she failed to capitalize on another scoring opportunity on the 10th before giving back another stroke on the next.
Her troubles continued on the 13th when she failed to get up-and-down, pushing her farther down the leaderboard. She briefly appeared to regain momentum with back-to-back birdies from No. 14, but any hopes of salvaging the round were undone by a costly double bogey on the 17th.
She made the turn in 37 and came home in 38.
The difficult round came at a tournament where the field has been tearing up the course, making Pagdanganan’s slide even more costly. Yubol exemplified the scoring frenzy, matching her opening 66 with another six-under card to seize solo control at 12-under 132.
The Thai standout attacked from the outset, making four birdies over her first seven holes, including three in succession from Nos. 5 to 7.
She added three more birdies over the final seven holes to put considerable distance between herself and the chasing pack. Her lone blemish came at the last, where a bogey marred an otherwise superb 32-34 card.
But a slew of pursuers are breathing down her neck, led by compatriot Pajaree Anannarukarn, who missed joining her at the top after bogeying No. 17. Pajaree also carded a 66 for a 133, tied for second with American Sophia Schubert, who matched her six-under round, and Korean Hye Jin Choi, who shot a 67.
World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul also pressed her bid with a 67 to reach 135, just three shots off the lead with two rounds remaining in the $2-million championship. She shares fifth place with Erika Hara (66), two-time major winner Haeran Ryu (68), Nataliya Guseva (68) and American Grace Kim (69).
The torrid scoring across the field pushed the cut to a low three-under par. In other words, Pagdanganan’s 141 was enough to keep her alive but nowhere near enough to keep her in contention.
The punishing cut also claimed two-time US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso, who endured what was likely her poorest two-round showing in an LPGA event. After opening with an 80, Saso carded a 77 for a 157 total, leaving her at 142nd and well outside the weekend field.
Filipino-American Mariel Galdiano, meanwhile, remained in strong contention despite also surrendering ground from her first-round position atop the leaderboard.
Galdiano, who opened with a 65 to seize the lead, battled through an unsettled start Friday, bogeying No. 17 and then giving back two more strokes on the par-4 first. But she steadied herself on the inward stretch, making birdies on Nos. 3 and 6 before producing the shot of her round – an eagle on the par-5 seventh.
That late frontside surge helped Galdiano salvage a one-under 71 and a two-day total of eight-under 136, leaving her tied for 12th, four shots behind Yubol.
With the cut falling at three-under and the leaders continuing to pile up birdies, the weekend sets up as a test not only of shot-making but also of who can maintain consistency as the pressure mounts.
For Pagdanganan, simply making the cut offers another chance to recover. But after going from a 66 that had her looking like a chief contender to a 75 that left her among the survivors, the larger challenge remains the same – finding a level of consistency capable of turning flashes of brilliance into sustained competitiveness.
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