Bianca closes out with two-under 70 for share of 41st

MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan faltered midway and settled for a share of 41st place as Irish Leona Maguire took home the crown in the LPGA Drive On Championship Sunday at the Fort Myers, Florida.

The Filipina Olympian fired three birdies in the first 12 holes for a shot at further climbing the ladder but had setbacks on the 13th and 15ths hole heading home.

Though she made up for it with a birdie in a last push, Pagdanganan finished with a two-under 70 for a five-under 211 total in a tie with 11 others at the end of the $1.5 million, 54-hole Florida showpiece. She earned $6,162 (over P300,000).

Still, it was a strong rebound for the 24-year-old ace after missing the weekend play in Gainbridge last week. She’s now heading to her next event at the JTBC Classic in Carlsbad, California.

Yuka Saso, the reigning US Women’s Open champion and Pagdanganan’s teammate in the Philippines’ two-gold Asian Games conquest in 2018, missed the championship cut by a stroke with at 144.

It’s the first early exit for 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.