Bianca, Dottie make cut
For the second straight day, Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina shot identical scores — even-par 72s — to safely make the cut in the LPGA Portland Classic at the Columbia Edgewater in Portland, Oregon Saturday.
Pagdanganan strung up four straight birdies from 9 to 12.
Pagdanganan and Ardina are among 13 players tied for 43rd spot on two-under 142 and get a chance to play together for the first time in the final round on Sunday.
Both Filipinas are paired with American Andrea Lee at 9:15 a.m.
Pagdanganan, the 22-year-old rookie making her fourth start in the LPGA, began with three bogeys in the first six holes.
“I struggled a bit with my irons but I eventually got it together,” said the reigning Southeast Asian Games champion.
Pagdanganan strung up four straight birdies from 9 to 12 until she closed with a bogey on 18. Averaging 274 yards off the tee, she found only nine of 14 fairways and missed seven greens.
The 26-yearold Ardina, on the other hand, missed only one fairway but missed six greens.
She had a roller-coaster round of five birdies against the same number of birdies.
Both ICTSI-backed players lie 12 shots behind leader Mel Reid who fired seven birdies in a seven-under par 65 to take a two-stroke lead over defending champion Hannah Green.
England’s Reid, a six-time winner on the Ladies European Tour who is chasing a first LPGA title, heads into Sunday’s final round on 12-under par 132.
“Put myself in great position, a position that everyone wants to be in, so I’m excited for the opportunity tomorrow,” said Reid, who strung together four birdies in a row from the sixth through the ninth and rolled in her final birdie of the day at the 18th.
“Just keep doing the same thing and see where tomorrow afternoon takes us,” added Reid, who shared seventh at the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, California, last week.
“I felt like I hit it really good last week, so kind of took that momentum going into this week,” said Reid, who said she benefitted from the day off on Thursday after the tournament was reduced to 54 holes because of poor air quality due to wildfires.
“I think it did me a favor having an extra day off,” she said. “I was pretty tired from last week.”
Australia’s Green, who shared the first-round lead with American Cydney Clanton, followed her opening 66 with a four-under par 68 for a 10-under total of 134.
She shook off a bogey at her opening hole, the 10th and put herself alone in second with a birdie bomb at her final hole, the ninth.
“I got off to such a great start, so it’s always hard to back up a low round,” said Green, whose two wins last year included her Portland triumph and her first major title at the Women’s PGA Championship.