BY WAYLON GALVEZ
BIANCA Pagdanganan ended the country’s gold medal drought in golf in style yesterday.
The charming Pagdanganan produced a final round one-under-par 71 to win the gold medal by three shots over a pair of Thai rivals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games yesterday at the Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac.
Pagdanganan finished the three-day tournament with a seven-under-par 209 to win her first gold medal in the biennial meet.
It was a fitting sequel to the country’s double-gold show in the Palembang Asian Games last year where Pagdanganan was member of the winning team.
Kan Bunnabodee managed a 72 to finish second while Pimnipa Panthong also had a 71 for a total of 213.
The 21-year-old Pagdanganan’s victory ended a six-year title drought for the national team, or following the triumph of Princess Superal during the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar.
That same year, the women’s team of Superal, Katrina Pelen-Briones and Clare Amelia Legaspi also ruled in the team event.
The last time the country scored a double-gold romp was during the 2011 edition where Chihiro Ikeda captured the individual women’s gold medal, and then helped the team win the title with Mia Piccio and Dottie Ardina.
Two years ago in Malaysia, Lois Kaye Go settled with a bronze medal.
Bones Flor, secretary-general of the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP), said that they always believed in the determination and skills of the players even against the best in the region.
“We knew that Bianca would be able to catch up in the closing holes as she’s always proven to do when she’s behind,” said Floro.
“We look forward to equally exciting battles during the last two days for the team match play competitions,” added Floro as the men’s and women’s team will continue to play today and tomorrow.
Pagdanganan has won a gold medal with Go and Yuka Saso in the team event of the Asian Games in Indonesia last year, where she also won a bronze in individual event behind Saso and China Liu Wenbo.
The other members of the women’s team are Go and Abby Arevalo, while the national men’s team members are Sean Jean Ramos, Aidric Chan, Carl Corpus and Luis Miguel Castro.
