Dottie, Bianca in the mix

Dottie Ardina and Bianca Pagdanganan gave the Philippines a bright start at the Standard Portland Classic on Thursday, each turning in confident opening rounds to put themselves in the hunt early.

Ardina, 30, was rock-solid from tee to green, posting a 3-under 69 that was as steady as it was clean.

Starting on the back nine, she strung together birdies at 11, 13, and 18 for a bogey-free 33. She added another birdie at the 8th to balance out her lone bogey of the day at the par-3 3rd.

With only 25 putts, Ardina’s short game was dialed in, keeping her just a handful of shots back of the leaders and in a strong position heading into Friday.

Pagdanganan, known for her length off the tee, showcased her power on the par-5s.

The two-time Olympian eagled the 7th, turned in 2-under after starting on the back nine, and kept the momentum with a birdie at the 5th to reach 4-under. But a tough closing hole — a double bogey on the 9th — brought her back to a 2-under 68.

Despite the late stumble, she’s only six shots off the lead and very much in contention.

Up top, France’s Adela Cernousek set the early scoring tone with a 7-under 65.

Cernousek, 22, saved her fireworks for the final nine, torching the course with a 7-under 29 that featured five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 7th.

“I was hitting the ball very well,” she said simply, after grabbing the lead.

Just one stroke back are Canadian star Brooke Henderson, major champion Sung Hyun Park, Jeongeun Lee5, Gurleen Kaur, and Miranda Wang, all at 6-under 66.

Henderson, who won here in 2015 and 2016, birdied all four par-5s and hit all but two fairways, a sharp contrast to her recent struggles that have seen her drop to 52nd in the world. “I love coming back to this place,” she said. “A lot of good memories here.”

Park, chasing her first win since 2019, made eight birdies against one bogey and said she’s finally feeling comfortable with both her ball-striking and putting.

Two shots off the pace at 5-under are world No. 9 Haeran Ryu, Perrine Delacour, Arpichaya Yubol, Ashleigh Buhai and Linn Grant.

The day also saw an impressive showing from 19-year-old amateur Kiara Romero, who carded a 67 just two years after winning the US Girls’ Junior.

And proving age is just a number, 65-year-old Hall of Famer Juli Inkster turned back the clock with a 69, outplaying defending champion Moriya Jutanugarn, 2017 winner Stacy Lewis, and 2019 champion Hannah Green — all of whom shot 73.

The Columbia Edgewater Country Club course played receptive under mild conditions, allowing the field to attack the par-5s — a trend Ardina and Pagdanganan both took advantage of.

With a bunched leaderboard and plenty of low scores on offer, both Filipinas have a golden opportunity to push into contention as the weekend looms.