Bianca, Dottie make nation mightily proud with gallant comebacks

PARIS – On another hot and moving day, Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina showed that Filipinos have the brilliance, courage and determination to challenge the very best in the field.

Sadly, the two ran out of holes in their spirited bids to give the country one final stab at glory in the golf competition of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Le Golf National in in Guyancourt – a charming suburb southwest of Central Paris.

But their remarkable comebacks will not go down the drain. That’s for sure.

In a masterful display, Pagdanganan birdied the 18th and final hole for the fourth time in as many days to cap a solid 4-under 68, narrowly missing forging a playoff for bronze by just one stroke.

She tallied a four-day total of 282 and tied Hannah Green, Amy Yang and Miyu Yamashita for fourth to seventh places – four shots behind eventual gold winner Lydia Ko of New Zealand.

What made the finish more memorable for Pagdanganan was that she bettered the 9th place-showing of the more popular Fil-Japanese Yuka Saso during the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Saso, who is now representing Japan, struggled big time in this year’s edition.

Pagdanganan started the round tied for 13th place – a position many thought she was already a goner.

But the LPGA campaigner produced one big shot after another to get back in the thick of things and had the entire nation titillated with the prospect of her finishing on the podium.

Ardina, her video that shows her using double-sided tape to attach a PH flag patch to her uniform went viral, was equally spectacular.

Unmindful of the brouhaha brought by her video, Ardina produced a drama of her own, matching Pagdanganan’s effort to finish tied for 13th at 285.

“Definitely, I stepped on the gas today, but it wasn’t enough to win a medal. Still, I’m happy with my progress,” said Ardina.

China’s Xiyu Lin clinched the bronze with a closing birdie for a 69, finishing at 281, a stroke behind Germany’s Esther Henseleit .

The German was steady all-day long, turning in the day’s best round of 66.

Ko’s victory was the culmination of her long and determined chase for the elusive gold. She was a silver medalist in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and a bronze in Tokyo.