Ball control key to Bianca’s LPGA, Olympic bids

MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan is focusing on ball control to gain more consistency as she cranks up her preparations not only for the resumption of her campaign in the LPGA Tour in two months time but also the Olympics in July.

The Tour’s driving champ finished at No. 88 in greens in regulation with a 65.1 percent norm in her maiden LPGA season last year, and coach Carito Villaroman sees the need for his 23-year-old ward to sharpen her iron play as well as her short game to reach a high level of competitive potential.

“We are working on her ball control, especially from 150 yards in,” Villaroman, who handled Pagdanganan since she was 11, told The STAR. “I’m trying to get her to fade the ball with her short clubs because that would translate to more consistency and greens in regulation hit.”

The former Philippine Ladies Open champ is relishing every minute of her break here, reuniting with and keeping track of her relatives and friends while slipping into a game or two to stay in shape.

Villaroman, a former three-time Junior World champion, also underscored the need for the ICTSI-backed Pagdanganan to convert more missed greens into par, saying: “We’ll be working on her short game and putting and I believe the results will come as we focus more on the improvements needed.”