‘I just needed to get back in the reshuffle. Oh, reshuffle. Try to bump my way up.’
BIANCA Pagdanganan is looking at each possible scenario that could lead her back to full LPGA status. | JULIO AGUILAR/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Off-hand, Bianca Pagdanganan carries a strong chance of making it outright to the LPGA Tour next season.
If she plays her cards right, the 26-year-old can regain her full status in the money-rich circuit two years after losing her card.
There are a few pathways. One of them is through the ongoing The Annika tournament where she's currently tied for 31st following a five-under-par 67 in the first round Thursday at the Pelican Golf Club in Florida.
The tournament offers spots in the $7 million CME Group Tour Championship later this year. A good result there, as in any other tournaments, could boost her standings in the CME list.
Now CME determines who makes it to the LPGA as full member after it replaced the money list two years ago.
Currently she's No. 60 in the CME whose top 100 players after the season are automatically considered full cardholders.
"It's just funny because it started off with conditional status," Pagdanganan said in an interview after a back-to-back T3 and T2 outing a few weeks back.
"I just needed to get back in the reshuffle. Oh, reshuffle. Try to bump my way up. It's a step-by-step process for me, so after last week, I was like, okay, I'm in a good position. Let's try to stay within the top 100. I honestly don't know where I am right now, but I honestly haven't thought that far after yet."
Well, she only has to look in the here and now. Three more rounds to show her wares.
Worse comes to worst, she — as well as Dottie Ardina — can still make a run for it later this month in the Q-Series in Alabama.
