Driven duo
About 22 kilometers away from Paris, the Le Golf National sits on about 139 hectares of land in Guyancourt, a commune southwest of the French capital.
There, with an idyllic French countryside as background, Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina will tee off looking to polish the Philippines’ Olympic resume further.
“Representing the Philippines and carrying our flag is both an honor and a responsibility—it feels immense, almost like the entire country is with me on the world’s biggest stage,” Pagdanganan told Inquirer Golf in an interview that will be published on Friday.
Representing your country rather than just yourself changes everything—it’s much bigger than any one person, and I’m thrilled to finally have this opportunity,” Ardina said. “Being part of the Olympics has always been a dream of mine.”
Pagdanganan and Ardina are two-time Olympic qualifiers, although only one of them is a two-time participant. Pagdanganan finished 43rd in the Tokyo Olympics, where former Philippines spearhead Yuka Saso made a run from a bad opening round to a place in the top 10.
Ardina, meanwhile, qualified for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro edition but pulled out along with Angelo Que due to the Zika virus scare.
It makes sense then that both Filipino aces will be highly motivated to finish strong in Paris.
“After making it to the Tokyo Olympics, I was determined to qualify again,” Pagdanganan said. “I had to focus on improving my game and maintaining my ranking over a year. The pressure of consistently performing well every week, both mentally and physically, was challenging.”
“My main goal is to win a gold medal and inspire young athletes back home,” Ardina said. “Having the chance to compete in the Olympics is a massive boost to my confidence, and I believe it will help me greatly in achieving my goals in future tournaments.”
Pagdanganan is one of the longest hitters in the Ladies Professional Golfers Association of America (LPGA), but that power might have to take a back seat in the Olympics, especially if the rounds are played at Golf National’s L’Albatros course, which blends traditional links and modern target golf and force Pagdanganan to rely on more than just her driver.
“Right now, I’m focused on refining my game,” she said. “I feel I just came from a long stretch, there’s a lot to review and areas to improve. I’ll be sitting down with my coaches, going over what’s working and what’s not, just making sure ensure I’m mentally and physically prepared for the challenge ahead.”
But at least, both golfers have already gotten the tough part out of the way. Qualifying for a Paris berth proved to be a difficult task, especially with the challenges they faced. Ardina, for example had her season delayed because of difficulties renewing her P visa.
“I couldn’t begin playing until April on the EPSON Tour,” she said. “Despite the late start, I managed to secure a top 5 and a top 10 finish in my first three tournaments. At that point, I wasn’t even in the top 300. However, with consistent performances, my caddie informed me that I had not only improved my ranking to 276, but was also likely within the top 60 needed to qualify for the Olympics. This was a huge relief and a testament to the hard work and perseverance throughout the season.”
To help her cope with Gold National’s undulating fairways and difficult greens, Ardina said she was focusing her training on “approach shots from 170-180 yards.”
However they perform in Paris, both aces hope their Olympic stint inspires young Filipinos to take up the sport.
“Representation really matters,” Pagdanganan said. “Growing up, I didn’t have many role models in golf, but now there are so many talented golfers coming out of the Philippines, competing on various professional tours around the world. I hope my participation in the Olympics can inspire even just one athlete back home.
“It’s incredibly fulfilling to potentially spark that interest and ambition, just as players like ate Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin did for us,” she added.
