Arizona Women’s Golf Classic: Pagdanganan 3 shots off with eagle-spiked 69

MANLA, Philippines – Bianca Pagdanganan dominated the long holes and came away with an eagle-spiked 69 but still trailed a host of aces by three at the start of the Arizona Women’s Golf Classic at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona Thursday (Friday, Manila time).

The big-hitting Filipina ace, who posted a runaway victory in her first pro tournament at home in the Anvaya Cove International last month, went four-under at the layout’s four par-5, including an eagle on No. 1 on her way home for a 34-35.

But that could only net her a spot at tied 19th as Americans Amanda Doherty, Katherine Smith, Emilee Hoffman, Kathleen Scavo and Karen Chung all fired 66s and Caroline Inglis, also from the US, Spain’s Teresa Toscano, Italy’s Roberto Liti, Jaravee Boonchant of Thailand, and Swede Pernilla Lindberg matched 67s to make it a crowded leaderboard in the early going of the $335,000 event kicking off this year’s Epson Tour.

Although she struggled a bit off the mound and missed six fairways on a huge 285-yard driving norm, the ICTSI-backed Pagdanganan missed just four greens but wrestled with her putter and finished with 30 putts.

But she did put herself in early contention with a birdie on No. 10 where she teed off, regained the stroke she yielded on No. 12 with a birdie on the par-5 18th and sustained her run by eagling the first hole.

She, however, failed to get up-and-down on the par-3 seventh but holed out with another birdie on the par-5 ninth.

The other Filipinas, however, floundered as Dottie Ardina fumbled with a 73, Clariss Guce carded a 74 and Abby Arevalo limped with a 78 and fell below the projected cutoff line at one-under in the 72-hole championship.