Bianca Pagdanganan is not new to adversity having dealt with situations that have tested her character and resiliency time and again.
On Thursday, the 24-year-old Filipina hopes to bounce back from two missed cuts when she sees action in the LPGA Portland Classic at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon.
Pagdanganan remains one of the longest hitters on the tour, averaging 276.66 yards but has failed to translate her prodigious length to red numbers.
After 39 rounds this season, she has gone under par only 13 times. Her best score was 8-under-par 62 which she did during the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational last July.
Her worst round was 9-over 80 she scored in the opening round of the Dana Open two weeks ago.
All in all, Pagdanganan made the cut in six of 14 starts, pulling her down to 138th in the Race to CME Globe season. Only the top 100 at the end of the season will retain their cards.
Much of her struggles can be attributed to putting where she’s ranked 144th on the tour with an average of 31.03.
Yaeeun Hong, the best putter on the LPGA Tour, averages 28.71.
This week, Pagdanganan tries again to fix the putting funk and start putting the ball in the bottom of the cup.
She tees off at 8:32 a.m. in the company of American Brianna Do and Japanese Ayako Uehara.
Pagdanganan is the only Filipina in the field as Yuka Saso opted to take a rest.
Dottie Ardina, on the other hand, is in Prattvile, Alabama for the Guardian Championship that kicks off Friday.
Ardina, ranked 17th in the Epson Tour money list, has drawn Louise Ridderstrom and Laura Wearn in the 7:55 a.m. flight.
She is hoping to land in the Top 10 at the end of the season to earn an LPGA Tour card.
Clariss Guce and Abby Arevalo are also competing in the 54-hole event. Guce will start at the back at 8:06 a.m. alongside Kristin Coleman and Hira Naveed.
Arevalo, on the other hand, will tee off at 1:08 p.m. on the 10th hole with Maria Fernanda Escauriza and Moeka Nishihata.
