Pagdanganan, Ardina fumble in opening round of Lotte Championship
Published Apr 13, 2023 06:04 am
Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina struggled in the opening round of the Lotte Championship Wednesday, April 12 (Thursday in Manila) at the Hoakalei Country Club in Oahu, Hawaii.
*Tokyo Olympian Bianca Pagdanganan trails in the first round of the Lotte Championship. (File Photo/AFP)*
The 25-year-old Pagdanganan, who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, stumbled with a two-over-par 74 for a share of 76thplace while Ardina limped home with a seven-over 79 for joint 137th. Pagdanganan had rollercoaster nines of 38-36 where fired three birdies against five bogeys. Ardina, for her part, couldn’t find her form as she registered five bogeys and a double bogey on the par-4 seventh hole. Pagdanganan’s performance put her eight strokes behind co-leaders Natthakritta Vongtaveelap of Thailand and Frida Kinhult of Sweden, who blasted identical 66s to make their title campaigns felt in this $2 million event. Ardina, meanwhile, trails Vongtaveelap and Kinhult by 13 shots. Vongtaveelap torched the field with a bogey-free round highlighted by an eagle 3 on the fifth hole along with four birdies, while Kinhult shot seven birdies against a lone bogey on the par 3 ninth hole. Four players, meanwhile, tied for third with identical 68s that include Yu Jin Sung, Bailey Tardy, Nasa Hataoka and defending champion Hyo Joo Kim. Ardina and Pagdanganan are making the most out of their limited stint in the PLGA Tour while some of the world’s top-ranked players are going on an extended break after the DIO Implant LA Open in California two weeks ago. World No. 31 Yuka Saso, who missed the cut at the said California tournament, also skipped this event.
*Tokyo Olympian Bianca Pagdanganan trails in the first round of the Lotte Championship. (File Photo/AFP)*
The 25-year-old Pagdanganan, who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, stumbled with a two-over-par 74 for a share of 76thplace while Ardina limped home with a seven-over 79 for joint 137th. Pagdanganan had rollercoaster nines of 38-36 where fired three birdies against five bogeys. Ardina, for her part, couldn’t find her form as she registered five bogeys and a double bogey on the par-4 seventh hole. Pagdanganan’s performance put her eight strokes behind co-leaders Natthakritta Vongtaveelap of Thailand and Frida Kinhult of Sweden, who blasted identical 66s to make their title campaigns felt in this $2 million event. Ardina, meanwhile, trails Vongtaveelap and Kinhult by 13 shots. Vongtaveelap torched the field with a bogey-free round highlighted by an eagle 3 on the fifth hole along with four birdies, while Kinhult shot seven birdies against a lone bogey on the par 3 ninth hole. Four players, meanwhile, tied for third with identical 68s that include Yu Jin Sung, Bailey Tardy, Nasa Hataoka and defending champion Hyo Joo Kim. Ardina and Pagdanganan are making the most out of their limited stint in the PLGA Tour while some of the world’s top-ranked players are going on an extended break after the DIO Implant LA Open in California two weeks ago. World No. 31 Yuka Saso, who missed the cut at the said California tournament, also skipped this event.