Ardina braces for another major appearance at Women's PGA

MANILA, Philippines – Dottie Ardina is poised to join the world's top women golfers at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship scheduled from June 20-23 at the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington.

The event marks the third of the five majors on the tour, following the Chevron Championship, ruled by World No. 1 Nelly Korda, and the US Women’s Open, won for the second time by Yuka Saso.

Ardina aims to improve upon her impressive tied-for-12th finish in the 2021 edition of the $10 million event. Fresh off a tied-for-27th place in last week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic, Ardina missed the cut for this week’s Meijer Classic in Michigan.

Instead of competing in the Epson Tour event in Indiana this weekend, she has chosen to focus her efforts on preparing for the Women’s PGA Championship.

Additionally, Ardina is set to make her Olympic debut in Paris next month, teaming up with Bianca Pagdanganan to represent the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Pagdanganan carded a solid 71, positioning herself just above the projected cutoff line in the Meijer Classic, currently led by Alison Lee.

The American delivered an outstanding eagle-spiked 65, securing a two-stroke lead over nine other competitors, including Brooke Henderson, Jennifer Kupcho, and Carlota Ciganda.

Pagdanganan managed four birdies against three bogeys, ending with a 35-36 round supported by 28 putts, leaving her six strokes behind the solo leader.

Filipino-American Clariss Guce faced a tougher challenge, struggling with a 76 to fall to joint 133rd in the 144-player field during her rare LPGA stint.

Saso, also sponsored by ICTSI along with Ardina and Pagdanganan, is skipping this event to prepare for a shot at her third major championship.