Pagdanganan rides hot streak, clinches US Women’s Open berth

Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines plays her shot from the second tee during the third round of the FM Championship 2025 at the TPC Boston on August 30, 2025 in Norton, Massachusetts.

Michael Owens / Getty Images / AFP

MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan continued her stirring resurgence on Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time), riding the momentum of a blazing Epson Tour finish into a commanding victory in the US Women’s Open sectional qualifier in Westminster, Colorado to secure a coveted berth in one of women’s golf’s biggest championships.

The long-hitting Filipina unleashed rounds of 68 and 69 at Walnut Creek Golf Preserve for a seven-under-par 137 total, dominating the 36-hole qualifier and clinching the lone slot at stake for the US Women’s Open set June 4-7 at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.

Pagdanganan set the tone with an eagle-highlighted 69 in the morning session before turning even sharper in the afternoon, firing a pair of 34s for a closing 68 that underscored the steady revival of her game.

The former Olympian has begun showing signs of rediscovering top form after struggling to retain her LPGA Tour card. Last week, she surged at the Reliance Matrix Championship on the Epson Tour with explosive closing rounds of 65 and 67 to finish inside the Top 10 — a performance that appeared to carry over into her dominant qualifying run.

Her successful US Women’s Open bid is expected to further boost her confidence as she heads into the Copper Rock Championship beginning Friday in Hurricane, Utah, another crucial stop in her bid to regain LPGA status through the Epson Tour.

The 28-year-old Pagdanganan is set for a relatively pressure-free opening round as she teams up with fellow Filipina and ICTSI stablemate Dottie Ardina and American Avery Amari in the 1:04 p.m. flight off No. 10.

Ardina previously captured her breakthrough Epson Tour title at Copper Rock in 2022.

Also seeing action in the 54-hole tournament are fellow Filipinas Pauline del Rosario, Tomi Arejola, Clariss Guce and Sam Bruce.