Bianca slips after strong start

Bianca Pagdanganan faded with four bogeys on her closing nine and signed for a one‑over‑par 73 in the opening round of the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Thursday.

The 28‑year‑old Filipina, seeing rare action on the LPGA Tour this season, burst out with three birdies on her first nine, including back‑to‑back gains before the turn, but went cold coming home with dropped shots on Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 9 to fall into a tie for 61st as she tries to advance to weekend play.

Pagdanganan is a two‑time Olympian and one of the game’s longest hitters, having helped deliver team gold and individual bronze medals for the Philippines in the 2018 Asian Games before turning pro and joining the LPGA in 2020.

She also recorded the country’s best Olympic golf finish with a joint fourth‑place performance at the Paris 2024 Games, underscoring the potential she is trying to re‑ignite this week in Mexico.

American rookie Melanie Green stole the spotlight with a hole‑in‑one at the par‑three 15th on the way to a six‑under‑par 66 and a share of the first‑round lead with Brianna Do at El Camaleon Golf Club.

Green, one of 21 rookies in the field, mixed six birdies with two bogeys and picked up six strokes in a blistering six‑hole stretch capped by the ace.

Do matched her with seven birdies against a lone bogey as the duo grabbed a one‑shot edge over Spain’s Carlota Ciganda.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda headlined a group of six players on 68 after a solid four‑under effort highlighted by an eagle on the par‑five 18th.

Fresh off her third major title at the Chevron Championship, which returned her to the top of the rankings, Korda continued her torrid run that already includes a season‑opening win at the weather‑shortened Tournament of Champions and three straight runner‑up finishes before her latest major triumph.

Korda, fresh off her third career major title at the Chevron Championship that catapulted her back to the top of the rankings, teed off on 10 and after a birdie at 13 eagled the par-five 18th.

She answered her lone bogey at the second with birdies at the fifth and seventh.

“It was a solid four-under, definitely took advantage of the par-fives,” said Korda, who also won the weather-shortened Tournament of Champions to open the season, then strung together three straight runner-up finishes before winning the Chevron for the second time in three years.

Green also teed off on 10 and picked up six strokes in the space of six holes with birdies at 13 and 14, her eagle hole-in-one at 15 and birdies at 17 and 18.

She didn’t know her tee shot at the 15th had gone in the cup until she was at the green.

“I was walking up and before I started walking I was like, ‘OK, great shot. Phenomenal. Grab the putter,’” Green said. “Then we’re walking up, walking up and I’m looking at the green, I’m like, ‘there is no ball.’”

When her caddie told her she’d aced it, she said, she told him: “It’s not in the hole. That’s not nice.”

When the truth dawned “I was so excited,” she said. “Good bounce.”