Filipina LPGA rookie Bianca Pagdanganan stayed on track of her bid for a first LPGA title as she finished joint 2nd in round 2 of the LPGA Drive On Championship in Greensboro, Georgia.

The rising golf sensation ended the 2nd round with a 67, capping it off with a birdie in the par 5 18th hole at the Great Waters Course on Friday, October 23. (Rappler Talk Sports: Bianca Pagdanganan in 2020 LPGA Championship top 10 finish)

Her bounce-back effort came after she bogeyed early in No. 8 of the par-72 course.

“I just take everything shot by shot,” said Pagdanganan.

“I missed a green, but my mindset is that you can still save pars, so I guess it’s just having that positive mindset throughout the whole round and knowing that you can bounce back from not-so-great shots.”

The 22-year-old power player is now tied at 2nd with world No. 5 Korean-American Danielle Kang, who started the season with back-to-back titles in the LPGA Drive On Championship and the Marathon LPGA Classic both staged in Ohio.

“It’s nice to put myself in contention. It can be nerve-wracking, but at the same time, you’d have to experience that and know what it’s like to be in a good position in order to play in future events,” said the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games double gold medalist.

Pagdanganan – who was initially listed as a reserve player for the Georgia tournament – opened her campaign with a 68 to finish tied for 6th in the 1st round with 2018 ANA Inspiration major winner Pernila Lindberg of Sweden and American Marissa Steen.

Despite hitting back-to-back bogeys in the 2nd round, tournament leader American Ally McDonald is riding on her hot bogey-free opening round to put herself in contention for a first LPGA title.

After cracking the top 10 in her first major in the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA championship, Pagdanganan climbed from world No. 712 to No. 234, setting a tour record leap in the world ranking of 478 rungs.

Pagdanganan also leads the LPGA tour’s average driving distance with 286.206-yards, but looks poised to raise it as she norms 297 yards in the first two rounds of the Georgia event. – Rappler.com