Bianca Pagdanganan narrowly misses podium at 4th spot, Dottie Ardina at T13 to end Paris Olympics bids

Bianca Pagdanganan and Dotte Ardina definitely saved their best for last, displaying clutch performances to end their respective campaigns at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday at the Le Golf National. 

Both Filipina golfers fired 4-under 68 in the fourth and final round — their highest output in the four-round 72-hole tournament — but Pagdanganan will finish just outside the podium at joint 4th spot with an impressive 6-under par total. 

Ardina, on the other hand, wrapped up her first Olympics stint at T13 alongside four other golfers with a total of 3-under 285. 

Pagdanganan was off to a hot start after starting the front nine with four birdies and four pars to move up to T7 where she emerged as the third best Asian representative in the 60-woman field.  

But she bogeyed the par-4 10th hole and fired back-to-back pars on the 11th and 12th holes to open the back nine at T11. Another bogey on the 13th hole saw her dropping one place lower. 

The 26-year-old golfer then unleashed a clutch birdie on the 14th hole and pars on 15th and 156h holes to remain at T8, where she was just two shots off the podium picture. 

She missed the putt for an eagle on the 18th hole but two consecutive birdies to end the round put her in a good position at T4 with her medal hopes placed on the hands of the remaining players. 

Pagdanganan momentarily rose to third place, but a birdie from China's Xiyu Lin on the final hole saw the latter reclaim the solo third spot. 

Ardina, meanwhile, had her best performance with identical 4-under par and 3-under total, firing one birdie and eight pars in the first nine-hole stretch before unloading four birdies in the back nine, including back-to-back in the 17th and 18th holes. 

Lydia Ko of New Zealand bagged the gold medal after carding to improve from her bronze medal finish in the Tokyo Olympics. Germany's Esther Henseleit (8-under par 280) and Lin (7-under par 281)  took home the silver and bronze, respectively. 

—JKC, GMA Integrated News