Pinay Power!

It’s been an amazing weekend for Philippine golf, courtesy of our brave ladies. When much of the celebrations were about Carlos Yulo’s double Olympic Gold Medals, our girls battled with all their hearts to bring glory to the country.

Women’s Golf at the Olympics

Two of our best golfers qualified for the Paris Olympics and joined the field of 60 in competing for a place at the podium. Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina usually play the US as touring professionals in the LPGA. On the rare occasion, they play for our country and boy did they play their hearts out.

Day 1 started with hometown bet Celine Boutier of France leading the way at -7. Bianca scored a gutsy even par, while Dottie limped home with a +4. As the days went by, our girls started fighting their way to the top. Bianca had a second round -3 while Dottie improved with an even par 72, limiting the damage. The third round proved difficult for the field and Bianca took a step back with a 73, while Dottie continued to improve with a 69.

The final day was pressure packed as can be, with the treacherous Le Golf National claiming not a few victims. As it did in the Men’s competition, the course brought some of the game’s best to their knees.

Jon Rahm seemed a sure win with a sizeable lead after 10 holes, only to falter badly and open the door to Scottie Scheffler who was at a distant five shots back with nine holes to go. Le Golf National claimed yet more victims during the women’s competition, notably Morgane Metraux of Switzerland.

Metraux was co-leader at -9 with Lydia Ko at the start of the final round. A couple of shots back was Rose Zhang of the US, someone who could shoot low and snatch the gold. But Metraux fell victim to both the course and the pressure, shooting a final round 79. Zhang also stumbled with a 74, ending her chase.

But what heart our Filipinas showed. Bianca shot a final round 68, to get into the clubhouse at -6, as the leader. Her birdies at the difficult 17th and two-putt birdie at the 18th gave all of us hope of a possible podium finish. Dottie meanwhile showed her mettle, also shooting a 68, and climbing up the leaderboard after each round.

Both Bianca and Dottie played for more than themselves, and their pride and love for our country were evident. A usually cool Bianca Pagdanganan teared up during the post-round interview, saying she did all she could and wanted to bring pride to our country.

Dottie, even with the uniform controversy at the background, dug her heels in and played her heart out for all of us. Our lady golfers deserve all the love and gratitude. Even without medals, just seeing the Philippine flag on the leaderboard, alongside the best in the world is more than enough.

They beat much bigger names in world golf, they beat countries with huge budgets for golf development, they beat most of the countries who had proper uniforms and bags and head covers. Both Bianca and Dottie made the most of their shots at Olympic glory and we’re mighty proud of them for it!

Rianne’s USGA Run

Barely has the Olympic golf excitement died down, when yet another Filipina, this time 17-year-old Rianne Malixi, makes golfing history. Only three weeks after winning the US Girls’ Junior Amateur in emphatic, record-breaking fashion with an 8-and-7 beating of Asterisk Talley, Rianne adds some more hardware — this time the biggest one.

Only twice in history have the US Girls’ Junior Amateur and US Women’s Amateur been won by the same person in the same year. The first time was in 2016 by Korean Seong Eun Jeong. This year, at the historic Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma, our very own Rianne Malixi made the rare USGA double.

Winning the US girls’ amateur is a feat on its own, with only Princess Superal winning the same championship in 2014 as the other Filipina to achieve it. Rianne’s dominant win of the girls’ championship, making 14 birdies in 29 holes was truly astounding, especially after coming up short last year, and settling for the runner-up trophy.

Winning it the very next year and in such a fashion was magical enough. But surprising to everyone except Rianne, she wasn’t done yet.

In what was an apparent repeat of the junior version, this year’s US Women’s Amateur final was contested by the same teens. It was Talley vs. Malixi once more after only a few weeks. This time wasn’t so easy for Rianne as Asterisk brought her A-game for most of the 36-hole match, spread over two days.

Actually, just to get to the final was almost a miracle for Rianne, who trailed Kendall Todd in the semifinals 1 down with two holes remaining. But the tiny 17-year-old Rianne saved her best for last, with birdies on 17 and 18 to snatch the victory from the stunned Todd.

In the finals, Rianne was never flustered, even when down by as much as 3 holes at a point. Steady play, quick refocusing after errors and stellar putting gave Rianne the most prestigious trophy in amateur golf — the US Amateur.

She truly stamped her brilliance over a field bigger, stronger, and from countries with better golf programs. Imagine if our local sports leaders refocused their attentions and budgets to sports we can actually win. Of course, politics should also be removed from sports for our athletes to fully benefit.

Rianne’s game, heart and mental strength overcame every challenge and now, the Philippines can proudly claim two USGA Trophies in 2024. Actually, if not for Yuka representing Japan for practical reasons, we actually can lay claim to three — US Girls’ Junior Amateur, US Womens’ Amateur, and the US Women’s Open. What about these girls?! Thank you, Bianca, Dottie, Yuka and Rianne!