BIANCA Pagdanganan successfully overcame the tough demands of the iconic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, firing a 1-under-par 70 in the first round to put her in contention at the 81st US Women’s Open Thursday (Friday in Manila).
She is just four shots behind the leader and tied with 14 others in 14th place following a round where she had five birdies, 2 bogeys and a double bogey.
On top is American Jennifer Kupcho who shot a 5-under-par 66, followed a stroke back by Sei Young Kim. Five others shared third at 3 under.
The 28-year-old Pagdanganan vaulted into the leaderboard when she shot three straight birdies from the fifth hole to go 3-under, placing her just two shots off the leader at that point.
But a double bogey on the 8th hole, where she three-putted from 70 feet, saw her quickly tumble down the board.
A birdie on the 13th from 25 feet showed her resilience. That, however, was erased by another bogey on the 14th where she blasted from the bunker and missed a 12-footer that could have saved par.
She narrowly missed birdie chances on two of her last three holes. She hit her tee shot on the 146-yard par-3 16th to 10 feet and her third shot from the bunker on the par 5 17th to 12 feet. She missed both.
But she had a great par save on the 18th when she chipped from outside the green to within four feet to preserve her subpar round at minus 1.
For Bianca, that round would surely be one of her best, considering the moment, what is at stake and the difficulty of the course.
The double bogey on the 8th surely hurt. She had a bad tee shot from where she advanced the ball to just 70 yards, and from 70 feet on the green, she three-putted.
Bianca will just need to produce consistency. Her recent performances had shown her following good rounds with truly bad rounds, such as when she made 76 after a 68 in last week’s Shop Rite championship, and a 75 at the JM Eagle tournament also after a 68 and eventually missed the cut.
Overall, it was more than an average round. Many of the game’s stars had worse. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, Charlie Hull and Brooke Henderson were at plus 2, Lydia Ko was plus 3 at 74 and Jin Young Ko was at 75, 4 over par.
Unfortunately, however, the scores of Filipino qualifier Pauline del Rosario and Fil-Japanese Yuka Saso were even worse.
Del Rosario failed to make an impression in her major debut as the 27-year-old former amateur standout carded a 7-over-par 78 and landed near the bottom.
She is tied for 148th place and will surely need divine help to make the cut. Pauline made just one birdie in a round that included five bogeys and a double bogey.
Saso, meanwhile, can kiss her title bid goodbye. The two-time US Open champion shot a dismal 6-over-par 77 and is unlikely to make the cut as her game and confidence continue to plunge.
Saso, 24, had just one birdie in a round that was littered with five bogeys and a double bogey that put her in a tie for 136th.
For now, Saso, who won this championship in 2021 and 2024, will probably just focus on minimizing her embarrassment in Friday’s second round.
LIV Golf: Tabuena’s woes continues in Spain, shoots 5-over 76
Miguel Tabuena remained a non-factor in his LIV Golf adventure, shooting a 5-over-par 76 in the first round in Andalucia, Spain where the ninth leg of the 13-leg series unfolded on Friday.
Tabuena, playing as a wild card, scored just one birdie at Real Club Valderrama which showed its teeth not only to the Filipino star but to the other players as well.
He had a double bogey and four bogeys and was tied for 50th place, sadly, a familiar spot for the Filipino campaigner who obviously is having a hard time keeping up with the level of skill at LIV.
Tyrell Hatton and Scott Vincent shared the opening round lead after firing a 4-under-par 67 on a challenging day at Valderrama, site of the 1997 Ryder Cup won by Europe.
The course played to a stroke average of more than 1-1/2 over par due in part to its famous gusty winds. Also, 47 of the 57 players in the field had at least one bogey in the first 90 minutes after the shotgun start. The stroke average of 72.509 made it the sixth hardest opening round in league history.
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