Gonzaga University
NCAA Championship Day 3
Pagdanganan Wraps up Freshman Year at NCAAs
5/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
EUGENE, Ore.-The 2015-16 season came to an end Sunday for the Gonzaga women's golf program as freshman Bianca Pagdanganan wrapped up play at the NCAA Championships at Eugene Country Club in Eugene.
The native of Quezon City, Philippines, began her loop with pars on three of the first four holes, but an 8 on the par-3 14th and 6 on the par-5 15th gave her a score of 7-above-par through six. Pagdanganan parred No. 16 and again birdied No. 17, but she ended her first nine with a double-bogey, making the turn at 8-over-par 43.
After a bogey on Eugene C.C.'s first hole, Pagdanganan found her rhythm again, parring each of the next five holes. She added a birdie on the par-5 seventh and finished the round with another par and another bogey for a Sunday score of 81 (+9). She played her final eight holes at even par to reach the mark.
"I'm really happy to have gotten to be with Bianca during the first national championship, and I'm sure there'll be more in her future," said Gonzaga head coach Brad Rickel. "She did a great job. We didn't hit enough fairways this week to shoot good scores, but she worked hard at it. In the end, we enjoyed the experience and we know that this will add tremendously to her experience. It'll make us better the next time we come back."
A freshman, Pagdanganan posted a tournament score of 238 (+22) and tied for 128th. She is the first Gonzaga golfer - male or female - to compete in the NCAA Championships after earning the berth via a T-8th finish at the NCAA's Bryan Regional May 5-7.
With the end of the third round, the NCAA Championships field has now been cut to just 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team. Pagdanganan did not make the individual cut, which took place at two strokes above par, and has now completed the 2015-16 season. She ended the year with a 73.20 stroke average, the lowest in program history by nearly three-quarters of a stroke. She also posted four Top 5 finishes, six Top 10s, and won the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational in October.
For the latest information on Gonzaga women's golf, visit www.GoZags.com or follow the team on Facebook and Twitter at Gonzaga Women's Golf and @ZagsWGolf, respectively.
