BIANCA Pagdanganan faltered midway and settled for a share of 41st place as Irish Leona Maguire took home the crown in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Drive On Championship on Saturday at the Fort Myers, Florida.
The Filipina Olympian swung out with guns ablaze after firing three birdies in the first 12 holes for a shot at further climbing the ladder but had setbacks in the 13th and 15th hole heading home.
Though she made up for it with a birdie in a last push, Ms. Pagdanganan finished with a five-under 211 along with 11 other players for a $6,162 prize (Over P300,000) at the end of the $1.5 million, 54-hole Florida showpiece.
Still, it was a strong rebound for the 24-year-old ace after missing the championship cut in Gainbridge last week heading into her next event at the JTBC Classic in Carlsbad, California on March 24-27.
Yuka Saso, the reigning US Women’s Open champion and Ms. Pagdanganan’s teammate in the Philippines’ Asian Games conquest in 2018, missed the championship cut by just a stroke with 144 at joint 74th place.
It’s the first early exit for Ms. Saso in the last 11 months as she looks forward to a better outing in the Women’s World Championship on March 3-6 in Singapore and the LPGA Thailand on March 10-13.
Meanwhile, Ms. Maguire unleashed a strong finishing kick with a series of birdies to fend off a late rally by American Lexi Thompson for the $225,000 Florida purse.
Ms. Maguire, who became the first Irish winner in LPGA Tour history, had seven birdies to secure a three-stroke victory with an 18-under 198 total over Thompson with 15-under 201. — John Bryan Ulanday
