Pagdanganan targets breakthrough at The Annika Championship

MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan is aiming to build on her recent performances as she heads into the final stretch of the LPGA Tour, looking for a breakthrough finish at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.

The $3.25-million tournament tees off Thursday in Florida (Friday Manila time), bringing together a stellar lineup, including Pagdanganan and her ICTSI stablemates Yuka Saso and Dottie Ardina. Leading the field are World No. 1 and two-time champion Nelly Korda, titleholder Lilia Vu, and many other top-ranked players.

After finishing tied for 11th at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, Pagdanganan closed her last two rounds bogey-free, boosting her confidence. She starts at 7:22 a.m. on the 10th tee of Pelican Golf Club, alongside Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai and Germany’s Caroline Masson.

Currently ranked No. 101 in the Race to CME Globe, Pagdanganan holds slim hopes of entering the Top 60 to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship. With 500 points up for grabs, a win could dramatically shift her standing.

Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia currently holds the 60th spot with 679.777 points, while Pagdanganan is at 227.999.

However, Pagdanganan faces a tough field, including Korda, who returns after skipping events to honor other commitments. Korda and Vu are paired with Patty Tavatanakit in a featured group teeing off at 7:33 a.m. on the first hole.

Other notable groups include Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko with Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang at 11:58 a.m. on No. 10, and Hannah Green, Haeran Ryu, and Ruoning Yin at 12:09 p.m., also on the back nine. Celine Boutier, Allisen Corpuz, and Amy Yang start at 12:20 p.m. on the first hole.

Last week’s winner A. Lim Kim will aim for back-to-back wins as she plays with Mone Inami and Jennifer Kupcho at 12:31 p.m. on No. 1, while Saso, the eigning US Women’s Open champion, makes her return from a break at 7:55 a.m. on the first hole, alongside Megan Khang and Cheyenne Knight.

Meanwhile, Dottie Ardina will play in the final group at 1:04 p.m. on No. 10, paired with Jennifer Chang and Robyn Choi.