By KRISTEL SATIMBAGA
Bianca Pagdanganan continued her woes at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship but still made the cut after shooting a 5-over-par 77 in the second round in Frisco, Texas on Friday, June 20.
The two-time Olympian failed to make a single birdie but made three bogeys and a double bogey on the par-4 10th hole for a two-round aggregate of 151. She had a first-round 74.
Fil-Japanese Yuka Saso joined Pagdanganan also had a 151 total after – thanks to a 72. She faltered with a 79 in the first round.
The two-time US Women’s Open champion had four birdies against the same number of bogeys as she and Pagdanganan trail Jeena Thitikul by 13 strokes after the US-based Thai golfer shot a 2-under 70.
Thitikul, the No. 2-ranked player in the world, finished a six-hour round not long before sunset with consecutive birdies to get to 6-under 138. She had a three-stroke lead over Rio Takeda (71) and Minjee Lee (72), and was four ahead of Lexi Thompson (70) after another steamy day on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco.
“To be honest, I didn’t (think) it’s going to be that good result out there,” said Thitikul, the 22-year-old seeking her first major win. “Especially today, I just said to my coach, ‘Like if anybody can shoot under par today, that player will be really, really great.’ I’m shooting 2-under par and I was like, ‘Wow!”
With the feel-like temperatures going over 100 degrees and the ever-present Texas wind, only seven of the 156 players who started the season’s third major were under par through two rounds. There have been no bogey-free rounds this week.
There were 15 players under par after the first round, when Thitikul’s opening 68 put her a stroke ahead of fellow North Texas resident Lee. (With a report from AP)
