Pagdanganan, Ardina, Guce seek LPGA breakthrough in Hawaiis

MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan aims to make a powerful statement as she resumes her LPGA campaign in the Lotte Championship, which begins Thursday (Friday Manila time) at the Hoakalei Country Club in Oahu, Hawaii.

After finishing tied at 18th in the Maybank Championship in Malaysia two weeks ago, the big-hitting Filipina golfer skipped the Toto Japan Classic last week to fine-tune her game for this week’s $3-million championship.

The event is one of the final four tournaments in the LPGA season, offering a crucial opportunity for contending players to secure points toward the Race to the CME Globe.

The Race to the CME Globe is a season-long points competition in which LPGA members accumulate points in every official LPGA tournament to gain entry into the season-ending event featuring the Top 60 players.

Pagdanganan, who is way off at No. 107 in the ranking, is set to tee off at 8:02 a.m. alongside Korean golfer Hee Young Park and China's Liqi Zeng on the scenic 6,536-yard course designed by Ernie Els. Known for its breathtaking views of Ewa’s plains and mountains, the course features challenging sapphire-blue lakes and strategically placed bunkers that are sure to test the field's skills.

Also competing this week are Pagdanganan's fellow Filipino pros and ICTSI teammate Dottie Ardina and Filipino-American Clariss Guce.

Ardina will tee off at 11:31 a.m. on hole 10, grouped with Kaitlyn Papp-Budde of the US and Jing Yan of China, while Guce starts her round at 8:13 a.m. on No. 1 with Americans Amelia Lewis and Kaitlin Milligan.

Defending champion Grace Kim leads a star-studded lineup that includes top contenders such as Danielle Kang, Nasa Hataoka, and Brooke Henderson, all vying for critical CME Globe points.

Missing from the field is Yuka Saso, the reigning two-time US Women’s Open winner, who opted out this week to prepare for the upcoming Annika Invitational in Florida, where Pagdanganan and Ardina are also entered.