Pagdanganan, Ardina lead Philippines' strong start in El Dorado with 68s
MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina finally found their groove, firing identical four-under 68s Friday (Saturday Manila time) to put the Filipinas in strong contention in the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout at the Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado, Arizona.
The ICTSI-backed aces, coming off a string of underwhelming campaigns, delivered the kind of opening rounds that had eluded them in recent starts, moving into a share of third place just three strokes behind early leader Kate Smith-Stroh of the US.
Pagdanganan was particularly sharp, putting together a bogey-free round highlighted by four birdies.
Starting on No. 10, the power-hitting Pagdanganan wasted little time making her presence felt, birdieing the 10th and 13th before taking advantage of the par-5 No. 18 to make the turn at three-under.
She cooled off somewhat on the front nine, missing a couple of birdie opportunities, but regained her touch on the ninth, where another birdie completed a flawless 68.
The solid start was a welcome turnaround for the 28-year-old Pagdanganan, who tied for 22nd in last week’s Guardian Championship after missing the cut at the Dream First Bank Charity Classic. She had not finished higher than eighth in her previous 11 tournaments.
Her opening-round performance also bodes well for her preparations for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in two weeks, where she is set to spearhead the Philippine team alongside fellow ICTSI-backed player Pauline del Rosario and amateur Rianne Malixi.
Ardina, a two-time Olympian, also came alive on the back nine, recovering from a bogey on No. 13 with four birdies, including three in a row from Nos. 16 to 18.
Like Pagdanganan, however, Ardina found the front nine more challenging, managing just one birdie to close with a 33-35 card.
The two Filipinas trailed Smith-Stroh, who surged into the lead with a 65 after making four birdies from No. 12. She holds a one-stroke advantage over South Africa’s Kaleigh Telfer, who carded a 66 on matching 33s.
Tomi Arejola also produced a solid start, making four birdies against three bogeys for a 71 that left her tied for 16th, six strokes off the pace.
Two-time Epson Tour winner Clariss Guce, however, faced an uphill battle after opening with a 76, marred by three bogeys and a double bogey against just one birdie, leaving her in danger of an early exit.
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