Pagdanganan rallies with strong finish, ties for 15th
MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan fell one stroke short of her coveted Top-10 finish. But more importantly, the Filipina big-hitter finally put together the kind of strong closing round she had been searching for, firing a 69 to tie for 15th in the Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic in Pendleton, Oregon on Sunday (Monday Manila time).
After a shaky start threatened to derail her bid, Pagdanganan rediscovered her rhythm at the back nine of the Wildhorse Golf Course, birdieing four of her first six holes to close out with a three-under card and salvage a 54-hole total of 13-under 203 in the Epson Tour event.
The finish snapped a string of disappointing final rounds that had frustrated the ICTSI-backed shotmaker in recent campaigns on both the Epson Tour and LPGA Tour. It also gave her a timely confidence boost heading into the Dream First Bank Charity Classic, which fires off Friday in Garden City, Kansas (Saturday Manila time).
Pagdanganan appeared headed for another difficult finish after making the turn in one-over 37. She missed birdie opportunities on the opening two par-5s before dropping a stroke on No. 7, leaving her in danger of another late-round stumble despite coming off a stirring bogey-free 65 in the second round that featured an eagle.
But the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games-bound Filipina turned things around immediately on the back nine.
She birdied the 10th, then unleashed her vaunted power game on the par-5s at Nos. 11 and 13 to pick up another two strokes. She added another birdie on No. 15 before settling for pars the rest of the way, finishing with a 32 on the back nine and a 69 for the day.
The one-stroke improvement from her target was a disappointment, but the manner in which she finished was a significant positive for Pagdanganan, who has been seeking consistency in the closing stages of tournaments.
Megha Ganne of the US captured the title in dramatic fashion, overcoming a last-hole bogey to force a playoff with Thailand’s Cholcheva Wongpras at 19-under 197.
Ganne, who closed with a 66, caught fire from No. 11 with four straight birdies but surrendered the outright victory when she bogeyed the 18th.
Wongpras, meanwhile, carded a 68 highlighted by an eagle to join her in the playoff.
Ganne matched Wongpras’ birdie on the first playoff hole before sealing the championship on their third return to the par-4 No. 18. She holed out for par while Wongpras stumbled into a bogey, handing Ganne the victory.
Laura Wearn, Kajal Mistry and Samantha Wagner finished just two strokes behind the leaders at 17-under 199. Wearn fired a tournament-best 64 in the final round, while Mistry shot 67 and Wagner 69.
Another Filipina in the field, Clariss Guce, also closed with a 69 and finished tied for 49th at 8-under 208.
For Pagdanganan, however, the focus now shifts to Kansas, where she hopes to build on a closing round that showed she can still summon her best game when a tournament appears to be slipping away.
After struggling through the front nine, she answered with the kind of aggressive, confident finish that had been missing in her recent final rounds — a development she hopes to carry into the Dream First Bank Charity Classic.
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