Bianca just a stroke off Portland Classic pace after eagle-aided 66

With every aspect of her game falling into place, Bianca Pagdanganan on Thursday fired a six-under-par 66 to be in a big group trailing the United States’ Mariel Galdiano by a shot after the opening round of the LPGA’s The Standard Portland Classic at Columbia-Edgewater Country Club in Oregon.

The 28-year-old Pagdanganan drained an eagle on the par-5 fifth and had six birdies that went against two bogeys in one of the hottest starts in her LPGA career, which she said was the result of a better balance in life given by playing Switch.

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“I mean, it’s not all about golf,” Pagdanganan, playing on a conditional status, told the LPGA website in a post-round interview after she was bunched in a seven-woman group that included major champion Grace Kim and reigning Augusta Amateur champ Maria Jose Marin of Colombia. “I felt really solid throughout the day. All aspects (of my game) worked together.”

The bronze medal winner in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, who was fourth in the 2024 Paris Olympics, is still working on a major accomplishment in the LPGA. And she has an idea of how she is going to treat the rest of this week, starting with the second round on Friday.

“I will just leave it all out on the course, deal with what comes,” she said. “I will just have the same mindset for (the second round onwards).”

Pagdanganan also carded a 66 in the Cognizant Classic a couple of years back, but Thursday’s round obviously put her in great position to build on it and create for herself a great chance going for her first title this weekend.

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“I guess I took advantage of the softer conditions,” she said after her average distance off the tees reached 280 yards. “It worked out pretty well for me.”

Haeran Ryu, the winner of consecutive majors this year at the KPMG Women’s PGA and Evian Championship, topped a large group at 67.

The 20-year-old Marin had five straight birdies on the front nine. She’s preparing for her senior season at Arkansas, where she was the 2025 NCAA individual champion.

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“I think I reached like a flow state that I haven’t reached in a while,” Marin said. “After the British Open, I didn’t play my best golf, and I think getting that confidence back with this round is all that I needed.”

Her father is working as her caddie.

“I fully trust every break that he gave me,” she said.

Galdiano is making her fourth LPGA Tour start of the year. The 28-year-old from Hawaii played at UCLA.

“Every start on the LPGA means a lot to me, so just enjoy the moment really,” Galdiano said.

Playing in the second group of the day off the first tee, Galdiano had nine birdies and two bogeys on the tree-lined layout.

“I love coming up to the Pacific Northwest,” Galdiano said. “Like great weather, good food. It’s kind of close to Hawaii for me, so I feel pretty relaxed out here.” *—with a report from AP *