BIANCA PAGDANGANAN retained her LPGA Tour card after tying for 20th in The Annika at Pelican Sunday in Belleair, Florida.
This finish propelled Ms. Pagdanganan to 92nd in the Race to CME Globe final rankings, ensuring her spot inside the Magic 100 and an exempt status for next season.
The 27-year-old two-time Olympian, who was barely outside the cutline at 101st prior to the event, closed out with a one-under 69 to get this important Top 20 placing in Florida at five-under 275.
Ms. Pagdanganan showed poise after a shaky front nine of one-over 36, rebounding with two birdies in a bogey-free 33 at the back to climb four places up from 24th when the dust settled and earn $35,341 (around P2.07 million).
The fourth placer at the Paris Olympics finished nine shots behind fancied Nelly Korda, who put the finishing touches to another championship run with a 67 highlighted by up five consecutive birdies on the back.
At 14-under 266, Ms. Korda posted a three-stroke triumph over China’s Weiwei Chang (70), Korea’s Jin He Im (68) and England’s Charley Hull (71).
Ms. Zhang made the biggest leap in the final event of the Race to CME Globe rankings, taking No. 82 from her previous position at 106th last week.
The ICTSI-backed Ms. Pagdanganan secured her spot for 2025 with strong finishes in last week’s The Lotte Championship in Hawaii (joint 11th) and last month’s Maybank Championship in Malaysia (joint 18th).
Overall, Ms. Pagdanganan made the cut in 13 of her 20 tournaments this season, with a best finish of tied seventh in the Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey last May. — Olmin Leyba