Pagdanganan vaults to joint 2nd after scorching 66

MANILA, Philippines -- Bianca Pagdanganan delivered a spectacular six-under 66, catapulting herself into a tie for second place alongside Robyn Choi and Yealimi Noh at the halfway mark of the FM Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts on Friday (Saturday Manila time).

Despite her electrifying performance, however, Pagdanganan found herself six strokes behind the runaway leader, Haeran Ryu.

The 23-year-old Korean dazzled with a bogey-free, career-best round of 10-under 62, highlighted by two stretches of four consecutive birdies. Ryu’s phenomenal performance elevated her from joint second to the solo lead with a commanding 13-under 131, putting her firmly in control as the inaugural $3.8-million championship heads into the weekend.

“It was just an amazing day because my shots, everything next to the hole and my putt, everything went in,” said Ryu, who previously recorded a best round of 64. “I didn’t expect a 10-under card would be possible, given the course's firm conditions and narrow greens. But I trusted my stroke and made so many birdies.”

Pagdanganan, the ICTSI-backed Filipina ace, started her round in blazing fashion with five birdies, including three consecutive ones to kick off her day. She added another birdie on the 10th hole but cooled off as she missed a series of birdie opportunities, settling for pars on the remaining holes to finish with a 31-35 split for a two-day total of 137.

Choi and Noh matched Pagdanganan’s total with a pair of 68s.

This round marked Pagdanganan’s first time shooting a 66 or better on the LPGA Tour since her six-under third round at the Mizuho Americas Open in May, where she finished tied for seventh. However, what might stand out most from her round was an unusual incident on the 18th hole, where her drive bounced off the fringe and landed on a spotter’s arm.

“My caddie told me to hit it up the left side of the fairway on No. 18, directly into the spotter’s arms, so that’s what I did. I just follow orders,” said Pagdanganan, who tied for fourth in the recent Paris Olympics. “It was funny because I couldn’t see how far it was going or if I was going to hit them. When it landed and she didn’t flinch, I thought she was fine. Then they told us that it landed on her arm, and I was like, well, you could have tossed it back in the fairway.”

Meanwhile, Dottie Ardina managed to advance to the final 36 holes after rallying with a 72, finishing in a tie for 52nd with a 145 total. Ardina, who struggled early with two frontside bogeys, salvaged her round with birdies on the last two long holes, carding a 38-34.

However, two-time US Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso missed the cut despite a second-round 72, finishing with a 148, two strokes shy of the cutoff score.