Bianca Pagdanganan finishes 4th in the Paris Olympics 2024
Bianca Pagdanganan clinched fourth place to conclude her campaign in the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking the best result ever for a Filipino golfer.
Pagdanganan produced her best round of the competition, finishing with a 68 that included a birdie on the 18th and final hole.
With a 6-under-par 282 total, she entered the clubhouse in a share of third place and qualified for at least a playoff for the bronze medal.
However, Chinese bet Lin Xiyu Janet eliminated Pagdanganan from the medal contention following the former's 7-under-par 281, one stroke ahead of Pagdanganan.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand won the gold with a 10-under par 278, while Germany's Esther Henseleit nailed the silver medal with an 8-under par 280.
Meanwhile, Dottie Ardina, another Pinay golfer, finished her first Olympic Games at T13 with a combined score of 3-under 285 alongside four other players.
'I really felt proud'
In an interview with One Sports PH, the 26-year-old golfer expressed emotion about the result, saying that she "gave them her all out" in the game.
“I gave ‘em my all out there,” she said, “Whatever happens at the end of the day, it happens.”
Nonetheless, Pagdanganan felt proud of her performance despite the pressures.
“I really felt proud of how I performed [under] such extreme pressure," she said.
She continued, "I’ve sacrificed so much for this career, and there’s no other way to put it. I wanted it so bad and I really did my best."
She also emphasized how she wanted the world to know how great Filipino athletes are by cementing the country's flag on the podium.
"I really wanted it, I want our names up there. I want them to know that we’re great athletes."
Pagdanganan, who was dubbed “The Unicorn” by her teammates because of her skills in golf, specifically her long-driving ability, made her Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, ranking 43rd in the Women's Individual Stroke Play event.
In her maiden season in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) in 2020, she made headlines when she finished in ninth place in the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championships and third place in the LPGA Drive On Championship in Georgia.
The Quezon City native had an impressive amateur career with a Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold in 2019. Afterward, she bagged the gold at the 2018 Asian Games with Yuka Saso as her partner and took home her own bronze medal in the individual event.
EJ Obiena also secured 4th place in the men's pole vault final.