Pagdanganan, Ardina make Paris Olympics roster

MANILA, Philippines – Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina have officially secured their spots in the upcoming Paris Olympics, joining 58 other competitors in the women’s golf event scheduled for August 7-10 at Le Golf National in France.

This marks Pagdanganan’s second consecutive appearance in the Olympic Games, where she aims to improve on her 43rd place finish in Tokyo, where she represented the Philippines alongside Yuka Saso.

With Saso now competing for Japan, Pagdanganan will be joined by Ardina, who is set to make her Olympic debut and has pledged to deliver her best performance.

The 60-player field for the Paris Olympics was finalized on Monday following the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, using the Olympic Golf Rankings derived from the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings. Pagdanganan secured her spot with a No. 113 ranking, while Ardina qualified at No. 298.

Saso, initially uncertain about her Olympic return earlier in the season, clinched the top spot for Japan after rising to World No. 6 following her decisive victory at the US Women’s Open last month. Miyu Yamashita claimed Japan's second slot after a strong joint second-place finish at the Women’s PGA, edging out early contenders Ayaka Furue and Nasa Hataoka.

For the first time since golf’s reinstatement in the Olympics in 2016, no country will field four players. The United States and South Korea, however, will each be represented by three golfers. Team USA includes World No. 1 and reigning gold medalist Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, and Rose Zhang.

Amy Yang’s impressive victory at the Women’s PGA, which propelled her from No. 25 to No. 5 in the world, secured her a place on the South Korean team alongside former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko and Hyo Joo Kim.

Saso, who slipped to No. 10 in the world rankings following a disappointing 68th place finish at the Women’s PGA, is looking to bounce back at this week’s Dow Championship in Michigan, where she will compete alongside ICTSI teammates Pagdanganan and Ardina as they ramp up their preparations for the Olympics.

The trio will also participate in the season’s fourth major, the Evian Championship, from July 11-14 in France, as they continue their build-up to the Paris Olympics.