Pagdanganan ignites Olympic medal hopes with gritty 69; Swiss takes charge with record feat

MANILA, Philippines -- Bianca Pagdanganan surged into the thick of the Olympic medal race with a determined 69, positioning herself firmly among the frontrunners on a day marked by dramatic shifts at Le Golf National in Paris on Thursday.

While a Swiss standout set an Olympic frontside record of 8-under 28 to lead and a local favorite faltered after a brilliant start, Pagdanganan's performance offered hope to a nation yearning for an Olympic golf medal.

With the weight of a nation’s hopes behind her, Pagdanganan’s three-under-par round was a masterclass in resilience and power. She recovered from a shaky start to deliver a crucial back nine, keeping her Olympic dreams alive halfway through the competition.

Her stellar performance was a highlight in a day that saw the leaderboard take shape in what promises to be a wide-open contest for gold.

Morgane Metraux stole the spotlight early on, blazing through the front nine with a jaw-dropping 28. The Swiss sensation, who began her Olympic campaign with a solid 70, fired off an eagle on the par-5 third, followed by three consecutive birdies.

She capped off her front nine with another eagle on the par-5 ninth, setting the first 28 ever recorded in both men’s and women’s Olympic golf competitions this year. This also bested her career-low nine-hole score on the LPGA Tour by two shots, underscoring her breakout performance on the global stage.

However, the back nine proved more challenging for the 27-year-old, as the pressure began to mount. A bogey on the 13th and another on the 17th tempered her earlier brilliance, but she still managed to finish the day with a remarkable 66, securing a one-shot lead at eight-under 136.

Hot on her heels is China’s Ruoning Yin, who delivered a flawless 65 in the afternoon wave, moving into solo second at 137. Yin birdied her first three holes and continued her momentum with birdies on Nos. 7, 11, 14, and 18, posting a bogey-free round that propelled her 11 spots up the leaderboard.

Lydia Ko of New Zealand also made a strong push, matching Yin’s front nine score of 32 and adding two more birdies on the back nine. Despite a bogey on the 18th, Ko finished with a 67, leaving her at 139 and within striking distance of the leaders.

Slovenia’s Pia Babnik and Colombian Mariajo Uribe both posted 140s, with the former rebounding from an opening 74 with a fiery 66, fueled by a five-birdie run on the back nine, and the latter carding a second 70.

Meanwhile, the ICTSI-backed Pagdanganan, after an up-and-down start with a bogey, birdie, and par before another bogey, found her rhythm on the 10 holes. She made crucial birdies on Nos. 9, 14 and 15, then used her power to birdie the last hole, capping her round with a 33 for a total of 141.

This impressive performance placed her in a tie for sixth alongside Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul (69), Japan’s Miyu Yamashita (70), South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai (73), and China’s Xiyu Lin (70).

Meanwhile, after a near-flawless opening round of 65 and a three-shot lead, local favorite Celine Boutier faced significant challenges. Despite an even-par front nine of 35, the 2023 Evian Championship winner found herself in trouble on the back nine and hardly recovered.

A disastrous sequence of holes, starting with a double bogey on the par-4 13th, followed by a bogey on the 14th, and another double bogey on the 15th, sent Boutier tumbling down the leaderboard. She fell back to three-under overall, slipping into a tie with Pagdanganan's group.

But if Boutier's round was a stumble, World No. 1 Nelly Korda's was a full-blown collapse.

After positioning herself for a potential move to the top with a brilliant front-nine 32, Korda kept the momentum going with birdies on the 11th and 15th, moving into joint second at six-under.

However, the par-3 16th hole proved to be her undoing. Facing a 150-yard challenge, Korda misjudged her tee-shot, landing her ball in the water. Her subsequent drop shot found a tricky lie in the greenside bunker, leading to a disastrous quadruple bogey off a three-putt miscue.

Shaken, Korda bogeyed the 17th with another three-putt but managed to close with a birdie on the 18th. Despite this small redemption, she finished with a 70, leaving her at 142, tied for 12th, and six strokes behind Metraux.

Meanwhile, Pagdanganan, who had a steady start, took advantage of the struggles of others to make her way up the leaderboard. Joining Boutier’s group at three-under, Pagdanganan finds herself in a promising position going into the next rounds.

Dottie Ardina, the other Filipina in the field, struggled early, double-bogeying the par-3 second hole but she clawed her way back with birdie on Nos. 11 and 18, She salvaged a 72 and moved to joint 36th at 148.

Japan's Yuka Saso, who finished ninth in her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2021 while representing the Philippines, could not gain any significant ground. The two-time US Women’s Open champion posted a second-round 74, placing her in a tie for 47th at 151 overall.

As the competition heads into its crucial stages, the leaderboard remains fluid, with unexpected twists shaking up the standings. With Korda and Boutier both faltering, the door is wide open for other contenders to make their move in moving day Friday.