Bianca saves par; Dottie hangs on

PARIS – Le Golf National was a beast, but Bianca Pagdanganan was up to the challenge, firing an even-par 72 in the opening round of the Olympic Games women’s golf competition.

Pagdanganan shook off a shaky start and fired three birdies to highlight her blazing finish from No. 12 for joint 13th place in the first 18 holes paced by home bet Celine Boutier with a seven-under 65 cheered on by an animated crowd of over 20,000.

Another Philippine bet Dottie Ardina was decent with a four-over 76 as Yuka Saso, the two-time US Open champ now playing for Japan in her second Olympics, struggled with a 77.

After taking the clubhouse turn at two-over, Ardina went up and down in the backside marked by birdies on Nos. 14 and 16, bogeys on Nos. 13 and 18 and a fat 6 on the par-4 No. 15.

Pagdanganan, also in her second Olympics, put herself in a good position going to Round 2 with her recovery from three bogeys in a four-hole stretch from No. 4, knocking down birdies on Nos. 12, 15 and 18th.

She birdied the par-5 18th with a green guarded by waters and bunker putting her in joint 13th alongside notable players like world No. 1 Nelly Korda, fellow American Rose Zhang and Thai ace Atthaya Thitikul, seven strokes behind Boutier.

But the day belonged to Boutier, pounding a course so difficult to most that only two players broke 70.

Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa had a 68, and only 10 other players broke par. The group at 70 included Gaby Lopez of Mexico, who birdied her last three holes, and Lilia Vu, the two-time major champion and former No. 1 who played alongside Boutier.

After hitting her first tee shot in front of a raucous French crowd at midday, Boutier fired a 7-under, making one bogey and eight birdies, three of which came consecutively on holes 14, 15 and 16.

It was a spectacular start to her home bid for an Olympic medal.

“I’m really over the moon with the way the tournament started for me,” Boutier said in an AP report. “I definitely wasn’t sure what to expect today, but I was able to take advantage of a few opportunities out there. I feel good about my round, and hopefully, (I can) keep going for the next few days.”

This is Boutier’s second time representing France in the Olympics, and she’s trying to improve upon her T34 showing that came during her debut in Tokyo.

This time around has proven to be a much different Olympic experience for every player in this week’s field as there are no COVID-19 restrictions to contend with, but it’s even more so for Boutier and her fellow Frenchwoman Perrine Delacour.

Boutier certainly generated some momentum in the first round, and if she wants to stave off charges from the other 59 athletes in the field over the next 54 holes, that will have to continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at a challenging venue.

Luckily, Boutier’s confidence has been bolstered early by a stellar round-one putting performance, and she will look to card more scores deep in the red as she works to put on another spectacular show for the fervent French fans on day two at Le Golf National.

“Every time I play at home, I never want to disappoint people,” said Boutier. “To have that many people show up, obviously, they want to cheer for some things. It’s always nice to be able to give them that, and I never really want to play bad.”