Bianca Pagdanganan almost earned herself an Olympic medal at Paris 2024, but who is the golfer making herself more known in the local and global sports circles?
Related: #Paris2024 Recap: This Is How Our Pinoy Athletes Fared At The Olympics
Be honest, when you think of sports where the Philippines has a fantastic shot at bringing home a medal in at the Olympics, do you think of golf? Did you think of gymnastics before Carlos Yulo came onto the scene? Filipino athletes are getting more and more chances to show off their athletic prowess, and trust, the world is watching.
The Paris 2024 Olympics saw the Philippines’ best performance yet at any Olympics, with Carlos Yulo, Nesthy Petecio, and Aira Villegas bringing home four medals total, in golds and bronzes. But plenty of our athletes’ performance were gag-worthy, like, to many people’s surprise, our representative athlete’s performance in golf.
Bianca Pagdanganan is a 26-year old golfer that’s been playing the sport since she was young, earning herself medals and accolades, as well as two tickets to the Olympics so far in her career. Her performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was her best yet as she played a great enough game to get herself to fourth place overall. This was a huge leap from her Tokyo 2020 Olympic debut, where she ended up at rank 47. Bianca’s proven herself a force in the golf scene, and it’s high time we learn more about the athlete.
SHE STUDIED ABROAD
Born and raised in Quezon City, Bianca Pagdanganan headed off to the United States for college in 2015. She went to Gonzaga University in Washington, studying sports management, until 2017 when she transferred to the University of Arizona to play golf in more comfortable climate and at a higher collegiate level. She turned to professional golfing in 2020 after joining the prestigious Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
SHE TOOK UP GOLF INSPIRED HER FATHER
Bianca fell in love with golf at a young age, as her father would take her to his golf sessions and to the driving range. She hit a few golf balls, picked up the sport, and the rest was history.
SHE’S STACKED UP A LOT OF MEDALS
The golfer’s accolades include two gold medals in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the team and individual competitions, as well as a gold and bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Games. She’s long wanted to represent the Philippines at the Olympics, and has achieved her dream twice! We’re still holding out for a medal, though, and we can’t wait to possibly see her at the next Summer Games in Los Angeles.
SHE’S GOT A CUTE NICKNAME
Bianca has her own sports nickname that was started by her fellow players in Gonzaga University. The golfer is known among her peers as “The Unicorn,” due to her golf skills—particularly her long-driving ability.
SHE RANKED FOURTH AT THE OLYMPICS
Coming from a T47 ranking at the last Olympics’ women’s golf event, Bianca drove her way right up to fourth place at the women’s golf event, racking up a stroke count of 282, the best score by a Filipino golfer at the Olympics, and just one stroke behind the bronze medalist Lin Xiyu of China. She got so close, but regardless of a medal, she has made an impact and become an accomplished athlete to watch.
Continue Reading: POLL: Which Filipino Athlete Won You Over at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
