DESPITE her so-so showing in the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore last week, Bianca Pagdanganan retained her No. 37 ranking in the International Golf Federation Women’s Olympic Golf ratings issued last Feb. 26.
Pagdanganan also moved up one rung at No. 119 in the Rolex women’s rankings released last Monday to maintain her strong bid for the Olympic Games in July in Paris, France.
The top 60 golfers on the cut-off date of June 24 in the women’s Olympic rankings will be eligible to compete in the Paris Olympic women’s golf championship set Aug. 7 to 10 at Le National located 49.9 kilometers northwest of the French capital.
Renowned for her length of the tee, the Pinay golfer is bidding to return to the quadrennial global sports showcase after finishing in a three-way tie for 43rd place in her Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago.
The ICTSI-backed campaigner won’t be in the third straight Asian leg of the US LPGA Tour, the Blue Bay LPGA firing off today at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Club in Hainan, China, but is entered as the series returns to the US with the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship.
Offering a total pot of $2 million (P111.7 million), the 72-hole tournament will be held from March 21 to 24 at the Palos Verdes Golf Club at the Palos Verdes Estates in California.
The competition is named after retired famed South Korean golfer Seri Pak, who won three Women’s PGA Championships in 1998, 2002 and 2006, the 1998 US Women’s Open and the Women’s British Open in 2001.