I never liked writing about golf.
The sport is boring.
Golf and tennis.
If I get to choose between the two sports though, I rather watch golf over tennis because golf's scoring system is more straightforward.
Volleyball made its games more exciting when it revamped its scoring system, so why can't tennis?
Anyway, maybe it's just me.
Also, Bianca Pagdanganan almost won a podium finish.
WOOOOOOOOW!!!
I am not going to act all smart and know about golf terms. I know birdies, bogeys, pars, and drives but I also know those terms from Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore. When I was still working as a copywriter at ABC-5, they bought a bunch of ESPN games that they could air in the afternoon.
The thing about these packages is that if you air an Efren Reyes match, you also need to air a snooker game. You also need to air X-Games, cricket, and golf. I am not a fan of car racing but I would rather see Michael Schumacher battle Kimi Raikkonen in 2005 than a snowboarding match whose top stars I know nothing about.
At least golf, or LPGA tournaments, have Michelle Wie and because of time constraints, matches were in the form of highlights. I scrub materials like hell for some glorious golf reaction other than a subtle clenched fist.
Also, at least I enjoyed her battles with then-world number one, Annika Sorenstam.
Again, Bianca Pagdanganan almost won a podium finish.
Now unlike EJ Obiena's almost-bronze performance, golf had low expectations. That said, it's not because of the talent. It's because it's golf - a boring sport that maybe I should care about now, especially if the Olympics will continue to have it in their list of events.
When I was "dealing" with golf in my old work, Olympic golf was on hiatus for 106 years. Also, there is always a fear that golf might be the first sport you can cut if a host team needs to cut costs. Golf courses are big and while Los Angeles has four doable locations as well as over 50 across the state of California, a city might not have enough free space to hold an event as big as the Olympics.
Again, I am not going to comment like I know what I am saying. The only time I played golf was in the garden of my uncle and the last time I was near a golf course, I was visiting my uncle in Veteran's Hospital.
That said, you can feel that she knows what she's doing. Back in 2021, the then-165th-ranked Pagdanganan finished 43rd, with Yuka Saso finishing in the eighth spot. In 2024, Saso has since joined Team Japan as per Japanese nationality law, making Pagdanganan the only Philippine golfer to compete in two Olympics. As mentioned, you can feel her swagger and was determined to put on a good showing even though she and Dottie Ardina had uniform issues.
In terms of the scandal the golf contingent is facing right now, I do believe that there is no corruption in golf.
To elicit that reaction, people need to care about it.
Now this is not me not caring about the sport, but the mere fact that they do not have a plan B on their uniforms is just insane. In the Vanessa Sarno match, I saw one girl from another country getting her thighs taped to probably conceal a banned brand. In our golfer's case, it's different. The Philippine committee asked Adidas to revise its uniform design. Usually, this is the say of the officials. For some reason, they should have had some sort of a generic backup. Pagdanganan and Ardina qualified almost at the end of June. At that point, revising the uniforms within one month is almost a photo finish.
The fact that the Pinay golfers had to double adhesive their flag to the uniforms is just not right. Now I don't know if the uniforms wheeled their efforts, but the uniforms were either drive or distraction for them.
I guess this is why Yuka Saso chose Japan over the Philippines and this is not the first time this has happened.
Alex Pagulayan and Wesley So are examples.
Also, kudos to Dottie Ardina for her strong finish. I guess the reason she voiced her opinion is because the uniform she was wearing bothered her. Yes, female golf outfits look like normal clothes but like tennis, they need fabrics that will still make them feel good while also looking good in the process.
In Los Angeles, hopefully, Pagdanganan and Ardina will have their revenge tour. They almost made the top and since Arizona is close to California, Pagdanganan might be used to the Los Angeles weather.
The fact that she wants to finish her Paris stint with her feet planted on an elevated step is another reason why Pagdanganan needs to have her third consecutive Olympic stint.