Bianca scores Top 10 finish

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ Bianca Pagdanganan ended a string of frustrating campaigns in the LPGA Tour with a joint seventh-place finish in the Mizuho Americas Open Sunday in Jersey City.

Pagdanganan closed out with a bogey-free one-under 71 en route to a 72-hole tally of 279 that sealed her strongest finish of 2024. Prior to this, the power-hitting Pinay placed no higher than tied 29th since February and missed the cut in three of her last five events.

Pagdanganan banked a cool $64,365 (around P3.71 million) while she celebrated her best placing since taking runner-up honors in The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America in October last year and third in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship the preceding month.

The 26-year-old ICTSI-backed golfer scored a birdie on No. 2 then parred the other holes to cap an outing that saw her sizzle with 68 and 66 in between a 74 in the first three days.

With a driving distance of 296 yards, Pagdanganan reached 12 of 14 fairways in the final round at Liberty National Golf Cup. She landed in 13 of 18 greens and needed 30 putts to finish her round.

“The putts will drop eventually,” Pagdanganan said on Instagram, reflecting on this week’s performance. “Grateful for a T7 finish in Jersey.”

Pagdanganan finished five shots off the winning 274 of world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the US.

Korda fired a closing 71, which was enough for a one-stroke victory over Australia’s Hannah Graham, who ended up at 15-under 275 after a 70.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (70) and Chanettee Wannasaen (65), the US’ Jennifer Kupcho (71) and Australia’s rookie Gabriela Ruffels (72) shared third at 278 ahead of Pagdanganan and six others.