If you are a regular follower of the LPGA Tour, the name Bianca Pagdanganan should sound familiar. The 26-year-old is among rising youngsters from Southeast Asia making waves on the LPGA Tour. Pagdanganan joined the LPGA Tour in 2020. As of now, she has netted six career top-tens in the top tier of women’s professional golf. 

Pagdanganan was born in the Philippines to a couple who loved golf. Her father, Sam, used to take a young Pagdanganan to Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, where he was taking lessons. Soon, her father’s hobby turned into her passion. 

“It all started out of curiosity. I just enjoyed watching my dad and thought it was so cool that he hit it far,” she told Tatler Asia in 2019. Neither Sam nor Carmina, his wife, objected to Pagdanganan’s dream of becoming a professional golfer. 

Talking about her parents, she said in 2019, “The support can be very overwhelming, but it’s also amazing because you know that you have a group of people behind you who will still support you despite the result.” Growing up, her idol was Jennifer Rosales, the first Filipina to win on Tour in the 2004 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship. 

Later, she traveled to Stateside for college. Pagdanganan first enrolled at Gonzaga University in Washington. She netted seven top-fives and 11 top-tens for the Bulldogs. After two years, the LPGA pro moved to the University of Arizona. From her 11 appearances as a junior, Pagdanganan netted three top-three finishes and six top-20s.

In her senior year, Bianca Pagdanganan recorded the lowest average score for the Wildcats (72.74). She also won the El Tigre Invitational that year. The Arizona Wildcats bagged the 2018 NCAA Division I Championship. Aside from her passion for golf, Pagdanganan is involved in various social works. 

Bianca Pagdanganan’s hobby and personal life

Bianca Pagdanganan has been very vocal about the wage gap between men and women golfers. In an interview with Tatler Asia, the LPGA Pro said, “I think that breaking down these barriers go beyond matching up to the skills of a guy. There are other barriers that persist, like the gender pay gap, and the level of exposure/attention given not just to women’s golf but to women’s sports in general“.

Interestingly, Pagdanganan and her 2018 Asian Games gold-winning teammates donated their entire prize money to the National Golf Association of the Philippines. As NCAA athletes, they would have lost their amateur status had they accepted the financial incentives. Two-time major champion, Yuka Saso, was her teammate. Although Saso later represented Japan, Pagdanganan carried the Philippine flag at this year’s Olympics. She tied for 4th at Le Golf National. 

Notably, after earning her LPGA Tour card, Bianca Pagdanganan didn’t hesitate to give back to the community that fulfilled her dreams. During the COVID outbreak, she donated food, face masks, and a check to the teen boys and girls at Camp Aguinaldo. Besides enjoying a round of golf, she has developed a fondness for crocheting as well.