Pagdanganan shines in opening round of Olympic golf

PARIS – Bianca Pagdanganan found her rhythm late, securing an even-par 72 to finish joint 13th after the first round of the women’s golf competition at the Olympic Games at Le Golf National on Wednesday.

The host nation had high hopes for Celine Boutier, but she did not display the dominance she showed at the 2023 Evian Championship. Boutier, familiar with the course and backed by a home crowd, began with a three-birdie run over four holes from No. 3. She continued her strong play on the back nine, rebounding from a misstep on No. 12 with three consecutive birdies starting at the 14th. She finished with a 33-32, leaving the 18th green with a three-stroke lead over South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, who shot five birdies against a bogey for a 68.

Former world No. 1 Lili Vu of the US started strong, birdying four of the first seven holes, including a three-hole streak from No. 5. However, Vu faltered on the long holes, bogeying the par-5 ninth and the closing par-5, dropping her to a tie for third with Gaby Lopez of Mexico, Swiss Morgane Metraux, and Mariajo Uribe of Colombia. Norway’s Celine Borge, China’s Xiyu Lin, India’s Diksha Dagar, Australia’s Minjee Lee, and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita all shot 70s, tying for seventh.

Meanwhile, Pagdanganan, backed by ICTSI, struggled initially, hitting into fairway bunkers on Nos. 4 and 5, resulting in dropped strokes. Another bogey on the seventh left her three-over at the turn. However, she staged a comeback with birdies on the 12th and 15th holes. Her round ended on a high note with a birdie on the par-5 18th, despite a drive into the water.

Pagdanganan shares 13th place with world No. 1 Nelly Korda, fellow American Rose Zhang, and Thai ace Atthaya Thitikul, seven strokes behind Boutier. Other even-par scorers included Canada’s Alena Sharp, Belgium’s Manon De Roey, India’s Aditi Ashok, Germany’s Esther Henseleit, China’s Ruoning Yin, Malaysia’s Ashley Lau, Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela, Korea’s Amy Yang, Sweden’s Maja Stark, and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.

Pagdanganan aims to improve on her tied-for-43rd finish at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

Dottie Ardina, also supported by a leading port operator, faced challenges in her Olympic debut, finishing with a four-over 76, sharing 40th place. Her round included multiple bogeys from bunker missteps and water hazards.

Yuka Saso, who finished ninth in Tokyo representing the Philippines but now plays for Japan, struggled throughout the day. She bogeyed the first hole, double-bogeyed the seventh, and added another bogey on the eighth, ending her front nine with a 39. Despite trading bogeys and birdies on the back nine, Saso ended with a 77, tying for 46th.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda had a shaky start, bogeying three of the first seven holes. However, she recovered, birdying the ninth and gaining back-to-back strokes from No. 13 to finish with a 72, setting up a potential charge in the second round on Thursday.