BIANCA Pagdanganan bowed out of the Volunteers of America Classic with a forgettable 78 yesterday, winding up dead last in 76th place at the close of the tournament at the Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas.
It was the worst finish in eight tournaments for the Filipina US LPGA tour rookie, who failed to match par in all four rounds at the par-71, 6,475-yard layout. She closed out with a 72-hole output of 305, netting $3,214 (roughly P154,562).
She finished 28 shots behind Texas native and tour veteran Angela Stafford, who checked in with a final round 67 and 277 total for a two-shot win over three others to take home the top prize of $262,500 (P12.6 million)
Stafford came from behind to surge past erstwhile frontrunners So Yeon Ryu and Inbee Park of South Korea and American teenager Yealimi Noh, who all had similar 70s in the final round and combined output of 277 apiece, each netting $120,709 (P5.8 million).
Pagdanganan will be keen on shrugging off her nightmarish finish when she focuses her attention on her debut in the US Women’s Open teeing off on Thursday (Friday in Manila) at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.
She will be joined in the event by former national teammate Yuka Saso, who will also make her first appearance in the prestigious event after her remarkable rookie stint in the Japanese LPGA tour, winning two events and becoming the top money-earner with winnings of 93,891,000 yen (P43.4 million).
