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WASHINGTON: There is a new young Asian talent to follow on the LPGA Tour and for a change, she is not South Korean, Japanese or Thai, but Filipino.
Rookie Bianca Pagdanganan, who turns 23 on Wednesday, has wowed observers with her laid-back demeanor and prodigious power since she made her pro debut in July.
Pagdanganan finished tied ninth two weeks ago in her first major, the PGA Championship, and then tied for third on Sunday (Monday in Manila) at the Drive On Championships behind winner Ally McDonald and world number five Danielle Kang for Reach No. 43 on the 2020 Money List after playing just six events.
But it’s its length from the tee that makes many believe it could be the future of women’s golf.
Pagdanganan, who won team gold and individual bronze for the Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games, has been regularly beating her driver beyond the 300-yard mark, a distance few women can match.
“Yeah, it hits him,” said Haley Moore, her NCAA championship-winning teammate at the University of Arizona. “We thought, ‘Oh man, don’t try to keep up with him. She bombs him. ‘
Father Sam says that Pagdanganan wants to be “the first woman to average 300 yards” (in driving distance). She is already well on her way, leading the tour statistics with 288.8 yards, 6 yards further than next best.
Veteran winner of English major Karen Stupples is already a fan. “She has the personality. But she’s also the only woman in the game with that kind of power who’s not afraid to use it, ”Stupples told LPGA.com.
“Other players could be as right as her, but they are afraid to. They have been told to back off and keep it in play or dial a number. She doesn’t care about any of that. She picks a line and breaks it. “
Pagdanganan doesn’t seem to know what all the fuss is about. “I never realized I had come this far until people started telling me in college,” she says, adding that she is happy to “live my dream.”
“If you told me a couple years ago that I would play on the LPGA Tour and be in this position in my rookie year, I wouldn’t believe you.”
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