Pagdanganan rallies late to secure joint 13th in Olympic golf opener

MANILA, Philippines – Bianca Pagdanganan found her rhythm, range and touch a bit late but enough to salvage an even-par 72, securing joint 13th place after the first 18 holes of the women’s golf competition at the Olympic Games marked by surprises rather than expectations at Le Golf National in Paris Wednesday.

The host country had high hopes for major titlist Celine Boutier to make an early surge, but not in the dominant manner shown by the 2023 Evian Championship winner. Boutier, familiar with the course and buoyed by a roaring home crowd, began with a three-birdie run over four holes starting at No. 3. She continued her strong play with back-to-back birdies on the back nine, rebounding from a misstep on No. 12 with three straight birdies from the 14th.

She finished with a 33-32, leaving the 18th green with a three-stroke lead over South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, who shot five birdies against a bogey for a 68.

Former World No. 1 Lili Vu of the United States looked poised to contend with Boutier early in the 72-hole championship, birdying four of the first seven holes, highlighted by a three-hole binge from No. 5.

However, Vu struggled on the long holes, making a bogey on the par-5 ninth with another dropped shot on the closing par-5 hole hampering her assault.

This opened the door for unfancied names such as Gaby Lopez of Mexico, Swiss Morgane Metraux and Mariajo Uribe of Colombia to tie her at third, while Norway’s Celine Borge, Chinese Xiyu Lin, Diksha Dagar of India, Minjee Lee of Australia and Japanese Miyu Yamashita all matched 70s for a share of seventh.

Meanwhile, Boutier's calm and controlled demeanor, earning her the nickname “the Machine,” sets her up as a strong contender to deliver France its first-ever Olympic medal in the sport.

However, the competition remains fierce with many talented players in pursuit.

Earlier, the ICTSI-backed Pagdanganan struggled to capitalize on her powerful drives initially, dropping strokes on Nos. 4 and 5 after hitting into fairway bunkers.

Another bogey on the seventh left her three-over at the turn. However, she staged a comeback with a pinpoint approach on the 12th for birdie, followed by another feat on the 15th.

Her round ended spectacularly with a birdie on the par-5 18th, despite a drive into the water, putting her in joint 13th alongside notable players like World No. 1 Nelly Korda, fellow American Rose Zhang and Thai ace Atthaya Thitikul, seven strokes behind Boutier.

Other even-par scorers included Canada’s Alena Sharp, Manon De Roey of Belgium, India’s Aditi Ashok, Germany’s Esther Henseleit, Ruoning Yin of China, Malaysian Ashley Lau, Swiss Albane Valenzuela, Korea’s Amy Yang, Swede Maja Stark and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.

Pagdanganan is seeking to improve on her tied-for-43rd finish in her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021.

Meanwhile, Dottie Ardina, whose campaign is also supported by one of the world’s leading port operators, faced challenges in her Olympic debut, finishing with a four-over 76 for a share of 40th place. Her round included multiple bogeys from bunker missteps and water hazards.

Yuka Saso, who finished ninth in Tokyo while representing the Philippines, struggled throughout the day. She bogeyed the first hole, double-bogeyed the seventh, and added another bogey on the eighth, ending her front nine with a 39.

Despite trading bogeys and birdies on the back nine, Saso, now representing Japan, found herself tied for 46th with a 77.

Korda, meanwhile, bogeyed three of the first seven holes in a shaky start that took many by surprise, given the World No. 1’s talent and skills. However, she slowly but surely recovered, birdying the ninth and gaining back-to-back strokes from No. 13 to save a 72, hinting at an explosive charge in the second round Thursday.