Pagdanganan chases history in CME Group Tour

MANILA, Philippines – On the outside looking in a couple of months back, Bianca Pagdanganan now finds herself among the elite cast set to slug it out for the biggest winner’s check in women’s pro golf history.

The CME Group Tour Championship, which gathers the Top 60 players based on the CME points system after a grueling LPGA season, reels off Thursday at the Tiburon Golf Club’s Gold course in Naples, Florida, with Pagdanganan seeking to cap a late surge with a strong finish in the season-ending $7 million championship.

As focus shifts to prominent players like American Lilia Vu, who reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking with a victory in last week’s Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, and two-time CME Group Tour winner Jin Young Ko of Korea, Pagdanganan remains optimistic about her chances against the best in the sport. Her well-rounded skills — from the long game to iron play and putting — have fueled her confidence in measuring up with the elite competition.

After posting a tied for third, a joint second and a share of 19th efforts in the last three LPGA events, the ICTSI-backed Filipina ace secured the No. 55 spot in the CME rankings, positioning herself for a shot at the top $2-million purse.

But she knows it won’t be easy. In fact, she has acknowledged the challenges ahead while emphasizing the need for hard work, focus and poise, plus a bit of luck to succeed over the four-day championship.

She faces Aussie Stephanie Kyriarcou at 8:05 a.m. in one of the early flights in head-to-head clashes kicking off the blue-ribbon event.

Meanwhile, Vu and fellow four-time winner Celine Boutier of France collide in a marquee matchup at 12:35 p.m., while Jin Young Ko battles Aussie Minjee Lee at 12:15 p.m., and Chinese Ruoning Yin and Korea Sei Young Kim face off at 12:125 p.m.

While the event features the Tour’s top talents, a couple of former champions, however won’t be around, including last year’s winner Kiwi Lydia Ko and 2018 titlist Lexi Thompson of the US, who have both failed to finish inside the Top 60.

Thompson wound up at No. 79 while Ko ended up at No. 100.

Still, the field boasts of an unmatched strength with Thai Atthaya Thitikul, Filipino-American