MANILA – Filipina golfer Bianca Pagdanganan fell short of a podium finish after settling for fourth place in the women’s individual stroke play in the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday at the Le Golf National in Paris, France.
Pagdanganan had her best performance in round four with a 68 including a birdie on the 18th and final hole to end up with a 6-under-par, 282, just behind bronze medal winner Xiyu Lin of China, who clinched the bronze with a closing birdie for a 69 for 281.
Despite the loss, it was still a commendable performance for Pagdanganan, who is ranked No. 36 in the Olympic ranking of the International Golf Federation, and 125th in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour rankings.
“I don’t know how else to put it, I really wanted it. I want our name up there. I want them to know that we’re great athletes and this isn’t just for golf,” Pagdanganan said in an interview with One Sports after the game.
“We’ve excelled in other sports and I think it’s a great wake up call for people back home that we can excel in sports if you could just find someone to support, that would be great,” she added.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko maintained her lead in the final few holes to win the gold medal with a 10-under par 278, and Germany’s Esther Henseleit clinched the silver medal with an 8-under par 280.
Filipina Dottie Ardina, who was at the center of the controversy after a video of her complaining about the absence of an official uniform for the tournament went viral, also made a strong finish, carding a 68 to tie for 13th place at 285.
Meanwhile, Filipina weightlifter Vanessa Sarno stumbled on her Summer Games debut in the women’s weightlifting event on Saturday (Philippine time) at the South Paris Arena in Paris, France.
The Boholana Sarno’s campaign in the women’s 71-kilogram division resulted in a Did Not Finish (DNF) after she failed on her three attempts to lift the 100 kilograms in snatch.
Olivia Reeves of the United States emerged with the gold medal, while Colombia’s Mari Sanchez and Ecuador’s Angie Palacios captured the silver and bronze medals, respectively./PN
