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| Bianca Pagdanganan is in the thick of the fight for a Paris Olympics medal. AP |
MANILA--Bianca Pagdanganan is within close range of a possible medal finish after the opening round of the Paris Olympics women's golf event at Le Golf National.
After Round 1 concluded just after the clock struck midnight on Thursday in the Philippines, Pagdanganan, now the country's top golfer following Yuka Saso's decision to join Team Japan, finished at even par 72, joining a 13-way tie for 13th place which also included world number one Nelly Korda of the United States.
Pagdanganan, Korda, and the rest of the logjam are just two strokes behind a four-way tie for third at two-under-par 70 between Mexico's Gaby Lopez, Switzerland's Morgane Metraux, Colombia's Mariajo Uribe, and the other American in the 60-woman field Lilia Vu, the world number two.
Three bogeys in Holes 4, 5, and 7 hurt the world ranked 125th Pagdanganan's cause midway into the front nine as she was tied for fifth after the first three holes.
However, she bounced back with birdies in Holes 12, 15, and 18 to get out of the red zone.
Meanwhile, Dottie Ardina struggled in her opening salvo as she cleared the "Albatros course" for the first of four times at four-over-par 76.
She tallied five bogeys in total including a double bogey in Hole 15 and a single bogey in the Par 5 Hole 18, which some could deduce is not as hard as it looks considering that world number 17 Brooke Henderson of Canada, despite finishing two-over-par 74, hit an eagle putt in the final hole to get out of a deadlock with Ardina for 40th place.
The world number 10 Saso, who was with Pagdanganan for Team Philippines during their Olympic debuts in 2021, finished five-over-par 77 due to six bogeys including one double bogey in Hole 7.
World number seven Celine Boutier made good use of the home-field advantage as the French golfer took the early lead with a seven-under-par 65 highlighted by eight birdies against only one bogey.
World number 56 Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa is second at four-under-par 68.
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