Pagdanganan settles for 3rd, Mcdonald wins by 1 stroke
BIANCA PAGDANGANAN fell short of winning her first Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) title on her rookie year and settled for solo third place in the Drive On Championship-reynolds Lake Oconee topped by American Ally Mcdonald on Sunday in Georgia.
The power-hitting Filipina birdied the last two holes for the second straight day for a 70 and a 14-under 274 total at the Great Waters course in Greensboro.
Mcdonald ruled the tournament with a 272 output she capped with as closing 69 for a one-stroke victory over world No. 5 Daniella Kang (68 for a 273).
Pagdanganan pocketed $83,557 (P4 million), nearly matching the $83,765 she banked for a joint ninth place finish in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, one of the Tour’s majors, two weeks ago in Pennsylvania. She now has a six-tournament earning of $186,266.
Pagdanganan rued the missed chance of going all the way as her short irons and wedges failed to click and failed to take advantage of the course’s par-5s the way she did in the second round.
“It definitely got a little frustrating, but it’s okay,” said Pagdanganan, who birdied the four par-5s Friday to move to within one off the leader. “I guess I could’ve made birdies on the par-5s but I only actually birdied the last.”
But she stressed the three other chances weren’t necessarily makeable since they ranged from 25-30 feet out.
“I should’ve taken advantage [of the par5s] but I also don’t want to beat myself about it,” she added.
That allowed Mcdonald to beat Pagdanganan and Kang behind a hot threebirdie run from No. 10.
Despite her struggle to gun down birdies, Pagdanganan remained in the hunt in a thriller of a final round so crowded that at least six players had a shot at the title.
Until Mcdonald birdied the 16th to go 3-up on Kang, who pulled to within one with backto-back birdies from No. 13.
Pagdanganan, the Tour’s driving leader, normed 293 yards off the tee, leaving Mcdonald and Kang by 30 to 35 yards based on their average driving distance. Although she went out of regulation five times, there was not much of a worry to save pars for the International Container Terminal Services Inc.backed player.
“I had one actual save- par but the rest were pretty much tap- ins,” said Pagdanganan, who broke that par- game with a crisp 9- iron tee- shot on No. 17 and blasted off the bunker on the 18th, both to within a foot for birdies.
The title chase also heated up in a flight ahead as Mina Harigae, also of the US, threatened to within two with a frontside 33 but ran out of holes despite adding two more birdies at the back for a solid 67. She tied for fourth at 275 with a hot-finishing Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who birdied three of the last four for a 69.
Two-time major winner Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand charged back from five- down to within one off Mcdonald with a blistering birdie-birdie-par- eagle-birdie run from No. 3. But the former world No. 1 reeled back with a double-bogey on the ninth and put to naught another birdie on No. 15 with a closing bogey for a 69 and a 277 for joint sixth with Aussie Katherine Kirk, who carded a 70.
From joint ninth in a major event to solo third, things are looking up indeed for the Pagdanganan, whose Tour campaign is also backed by Skyflakes, Ping, Titleist, Footjoy and Swingdish.
“I hope so [getting closer to that first win],” she said. “But I still have parts of my game that I need to work on.”
Pagdanganan said she satisfied with how she handled the pressure playing against the seasoned campaigners.
“I really enjoyed being in contention this week. I had mixed feelings but I like where my game is headed,” she said. “I haven’t struck the ball this good in a while so there are still lots of positives to take away this week.”