BIANCA Pagdanganan struggled early on but eventually found her rhythm, range and touch to salvage an even-par 72 and move into a tie for 13th after the first 18 holes of the Olympic women’s golf action at the Le Golf National in Paris Wednesday.
The other Pinay campaigner, Dottie Ardina, whose campaign is also supported by one of the world’s leading port operators, finished with a four-over 76 for a share of 40th place. Her round included multiple bogeys from bunker missteps and water hazards.
Yuka Saso, who finished ninth in Tokyo while representing the Philippines, struggled. 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, now representing Japan, found herself tied for 46th with a 77.
France had high hopes for major titlist Celine Boutier to make an early surge and the 2023 Evian Championship winner promptly delivered with a 65 for a three-shot lead over South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, who shot five birdies against a bogey.
Former world No. 1 Lili Vu of the US looked poised to contend with Boutier early in the 72-hole championship, birdying four of the first seven holes, highlighted by a three-hole binge from No. 5.
But Vu struggled on the long holes, making a bogey on the par-5 ninth with another dropped shot on the closing par-5 hole hampering her assault.
This opened the door for unfancied players such as Gaby Lopez of Mexico, Swiss Morgane Metraux and Mariajo Uribe of Colombia to tie her at third, while Norway’s Celine Borge, Chinese Xiyu Lin, Diksha Dagar of India, Minjee Lee of Australia and Japanese Miyu Yamashita matched 70s for a share of seventh.
The ICTSI-backed Pagdanganan struggled to capitalize on her powerful drives initially, dropping strokes on Nos. 4 and 5 after hitting into fairway bunkers. Another bogey on the seventh left her three-over at the turn.
She staged a comeback with a pinpoint approach on the 12th for birdie, followed by another feat on the 15th.
Her round ended spectacularly with a birdie on the par-5 18th, despite a drive into the water, putting her in joint 13th alongside notable players like world No. 1 Nelly Korda, fellow American Rose Zhang and Thai ace Atthaya Thitikul, seven strokes behind Boutier.
