Pagdanganan-Dy joins hunt as National Doubles unwraps

MANILA, Philippines — Asian Games bronze medalist Bianca Pagdanganan teams up with former junior world champion Jed Dy, upbeat of their chances in the National Doubles Amateur Golf Championship which fires off today at the Camp Aguinaldo Golf Club.

A noted team player who helped anchor the Philippines’ gold medal feat in the recent Asiad in Jakarta, Pagdanganan hopes to combine her talent and skills with Dy in the three-day tournament sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation and organized  by the National Golf Association of the Philippines.

But they will be facing a field teeming with talent, headed by Don Petil, out to defend the crown with a new partner in JR Salahug, with the pairs of Jet Hernandez-Josh Jorge, Kristine Torralba-Santino Laurel, Ivan Monsalve-Aldo Barro and Paqo Barro-Jeff Jung also tipped to contend for the crown in NGAP’s season-ending tournament that is part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour and backed by Cignal and Metro Pacific.

Also in the hunt are the tandems of Lanz Uy-Ryan Monsalve, Leandro Bagtas-Francis Lanuza, David Guangko-Annika Guangko, Rald Sarmiento-Masaichi Otake, Arnie Taguines-Samanthan Dizon and Paolo Uy-Patrick Uy.

Sean Ramos, winner of the Cangolf Am Open and Northern Luzon Regional Championship, also seeks to close out the season with another victory on a short but tight, challenging course, tapping Gabby Macalaguim as partner in the event which features the four-ball (best ball), aggregate and foursomes (alternate shot) formats.

The field plays the four-ball format today with action shifting to aggregate tomorrow. Friday’s final round will feature the two-ball foursomes.

Aside from Group I for members of the national team and for players with handicap index of 4.0 or less, also on tap are the Group 2 (4.1 and above) and Group III (players 30 years old-and-above regardless of handicap).

Leading the Group II cast are Franco Rivera-Ciaran O’Driscoll, Sean Granada-Matthew Abalos, Miguel Roque-Santino Diokno, and Cedric Aunzo-Jermaine Melosantos, while the pairs of Wilson Caro-Timothy Del Mundo, JB Liclican-Vic Se, Louie Aguinaldo-Jimmy Suelo, and Clarence Aytona-Butch Bakunawa lead the Group III field.