Pagdanganan breaks slump, shares lead in Mexico Open with 68

MANILA, Philippines — Without the presence of the LPGA Tour's biggest stars, Bianca Pagdanganan seized the spotlight at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open, carding a four-under-par 68 on Thursday (Friday Manila time) to vault into a four-way tie for the lead at the Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

After a string of early-season struggles — including missing the cut in five of her first six starts — Pagdanganan delivered a poised and powerful round in the morning wave to announce her return to form. For the 27-year-old Filipina, it was not just a strong score, but a confidence-boosting performance that could signal a turning point in her pursuit of a maiden LPGA Tour title.

“It felt like a pretty easy round, which honestly I haven’t felt in a while,” said Pagdanganan. “To be able to have that out there feels really good.”

One of the Tour’s longest hitters, Pagdanganan relied less on her trademark power and more on her precision with the irons. She birdied Nos. 1, 5, 10 and 11 of the El Camaleon course at Mayakoba, then capped her round with a clutch birdie at the par-5 18th, erasing a bogey at the 16th.

Despite hitting only 8 of 14 fairways, she reached 16 greens in regulation and kept herself in contention despite needing 31 putts.

“I hit a lot of greens — not a lot of fairways. But I felt like it didn’t matter that much to me today. I felt like I was swinging it pretty good. I had a pretty clear headspace,” added Pagdanganan, who is backed by ICTSI.

The round was a welcome bounce back after missing four consecutive cuts and finishing 70th at the Blue Bay LPGA.

“So I guess, mentally and physically, everything just lined up really well for me today,” she said.

Pagdanganan will face a tougher challenge in Friday’s second round, teeing off in the more difficult afternoon conditions.

Still, the field remains wide open due to the absence of world No. 1 Nelly Korda and No. 2 Atthaya Thitikul, who skipped the $2.5 million event to prepare for next week’s US Women’s Open in Wisconsin.

Joining Pagdanganan atop the leaderboard at 68 were Japan’s Chisato Iwai, Korea’s Jenny Shin, and Brianna Do of the United States.

They hold a one-stroke lead over five players who carded 69s: Aline Krauter, Jenny Bae, Minami Katsu, Olivia Cowan, and Hye Jin Choi. Eight more, including Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, finished at two-under 70.

While Pagdanganan thrived, fellow Olympian and ICTSI teammate Dottie Ardina struggled. Despite hitting 11 of 14 fairways, Ardina missed seven greens and posted a 74 after recording just one birdie against three bogeys. That left her tied for 48th, a single stroke above the projected cut line in a field of 140.