Bianca showing big fighting heart in Paris

Don’t look now, but a medal — with a Philippine name stamped on it — just might come from the Paris Olympics golf course.

Bianca Pagdanganan’s dream of landing on the podium remains a strong possibility after she fired a three-under-par 69 Thursday in the second round of the women’s golf at Le Golf National.

It was a big improvement from her opening round last Wednesday as it pushed her tied for sixth, two shots away from third-running New Zealand superstar Lydia Ko.

Only a few players were on the field including those in the lower rung of the standings like the other Filipino bet Dottie Ardina who was four-over at shared 36th after a level par on the second round.

Pagdanganan was to start late in the third round on Friday, teeing off at 6:28 p.m. (Manila time) along with Pia Babnik of Poland and Mariajo Uribe of Colombia.

Ardina was to start with Sarah Schober of Austria and Shannon Tan of Singapore at 4:22 p.m. Yuka Saso of Japan was to tee off at 3:30 p.m.

The ICTSI-backed Pagdanganan bogeyed Nos. 1 and 4 but birdied Nos. 2, 8, 14, 15 and 18 for a strong finish and a hope to barge into the podium by the weekend.

But at three-under total, the 26-year-old Pagdanganan was still five shots off the clubhouse leader, Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux who went six-under in the second round.

China’s Yin Ruoning fired a seven-under-par 65 to slot at second, a shot behind Metraux. Ko shot a 67 for solo third.

Saso of Japan failed to recover from her opening-round rut, firing a two-over-par 74 for a seven-over total after two days and share of 50th place.

Pagdanganan is tied for sixth with the likes of Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, first-round leader Celine Boutier of France, Asheleigh Buhai of South Africa, Miyu Yamashita of Japan and Janet Lin Xiyu of China.

They are a stroke behind joint fourth placers Uribe and Babnik who carded a spectacular six-under-par 66 Thursday.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States birdied six holes in the first 15 holes before bombing out with a double bogey on the 150-yard par-3 16th, and bogeying the next. She holed out with a birdie on 18th to finish the round at two-under, tied for 12.