MIAMI (AFP) — Bianca Pagdanganan bowed out of the LPGA Founders Cup after shooting a one-under-par 70 at Bradenton Country Club in Florida on Friday.
It was a six-shot improvement from her opening round of 76, but the 27-year-old fell short of the cut by four strokes.
Unlike her error-filled previous round, Pagdanganan made just one bogey and two birdies. She missed only three of 14 fairways and four greens.
However, her putting still needs work, as she required 31 putts to complete the round. Meanwhile, South Korea’s Ko Jin-young birdied six of her last nine holes to card a 63 and take a two-stroke lead after the second round.
The two-time major winner, who began her round on the back nine, posted the day’s low score to stand at 12-under 130 after 36 holes.
“I didn’t realize I was shooting eight-under,” Ko said.
“After I finished and checked my score, I thought, ‘Oh my God, I shot eight-under.’ It was pretty good.”
Ranked world No. 11, Ko has won three of the past five Founders Cup titles, securing victories in 2019, 2021, and 2023. The 2020 event was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She’s now chasing her 16th LPGA title and first since last year’s Founders Cup. Ko started with a birdie on the 10th hole and added another on the 16th.
She then birdied the first and second holes, followed by the fourth, before finishing strong with three consecutive birdies starting at the par-5 sixth.
“I stayed focused and just tried to do my best,” Ko said.
“My shots were very consistent from the tee. I had many birdie opportunities but missed a few putts. Still, I played really well.”
A second-place group at 132 includes Japan’s Minami Katsu, South Korea’s Im Jin-hee, and Americans Angel Yin and Yealimi Noh. Yin, who posted a bogey-free 66, claimed her only LPGA title in 2023 at Shanghai.
“I’ve got good momentum, so I’ll try to carry that into the weekend and see what I can do,” Yin said.
“A lot of players are playing really well, especially Jin-young.” Im, who also fired a bogey-free 66, enjoyed her best finish of her rookie season with a runner-up result at last November’s Annika tournament.
“The greens were great, I trusted my line and made it,” Im said. “That’s all.”
Noh, seeking her first LPGA victory, shot a 64.
“I just hit it really well,” Noh said. “A lot of putts dropped, and my tempo was really good today. I kept it simple: fairways and greens.”
Noh, whose best LPGA finish was a share of second at the 2020 Volunteers of America Classic, put in a lot of effort during the off-season to improve.
“I practiced a lot and worked hard in the gym to get my body ready for the season,” Noh said. “I’ve got trainers everywhere, and they got me in great shape.”
Top-ranked Nelly Korda, who won last year on her hometown course, shot her second consecutive 68 and shares 13th at 136.