Pinays try luck at Korda-less LA tourney

Better chance for Filipino campaigners like Bianca Pagdanganan and reserve listers Clariss Guce and Dottie Ardina

With hot-streaking Nelly Korda skipping it, the field got just a tad level when the JM Eagle Los Angeles Championship begins Thursday at Wilshire Country Club.

Better chance for Filipino campaigners like Bianca Pagdanganan and reserve listers Clariss Guce and Dottie Ardina.

Only they will have to out-do themselves to stand their ground against the big names like past champions Hannah Green (2023), Nasa Hataoka (2022), Minjee Lee (2019), Moriya Jutanugarn (2018).

Pagdanganan was cut in The Chevron, the first major of the year, and her best showing so far in the season was T29 during the Honda LPGA in Thailand.

Making it via Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings Top 10 (6 of 10) are Celine Boutier (No. 3), Ruoning Yin (No. 4), Minjee Lee (No. 6), Jin Young Ko (No. 7), Charley Hull (No. 8) and Hyo Joo Kim (No. 10).

If lucky, Guce will be making her maiden LPGA tournament this season after making it via Q-School. It’s the same thing with Ardina who had been playing elsewhere at the start of the year.

Now the LPGA Tour has turned its attention to the JM Eagle LA with 144 players, including four past champions and six of the top 10 in the Rolex Women’ s World Golf Rankings.

The players duke it out for a share of a $3.75 million purse and 500 Race to the CME Globe Points.

Twenty of the 26 2024 LPGA Tour rookies and three of this year’s LPGA Tour winners are set to compete, including defending champion Green and UCLA alum and Honda LPGA Thailand winner Patty Tavatanakit.

Making it via Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings Top 10 (6 of 10) are Celine Boutier (No. 3), Ruoning Yin (No. 4), Minjee Lee (No. 6), Jin Young Ko (No. 7), Charley Hull (No. 8) and Hyo Joo Kim (No. 10).