Bianca Pagdanganan shot a two-under par 69 while Yuka Saso carded a three-over par 74 as the two Filipina golfers opened their campaigns in the women’s division in the Tokyo Olympics Wednesday, August 4 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, Japan.

The 23-year-old Pagdanganan birdied on 1, 2 and 5, but made a bogey on 4, which allowed her to finished tied for seventh place, two shots behind clubhouse leader and world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the USA, who fired a 67.

The 20-year-old Saso, the reigning US Women’s Open champion, struggled a little as she birdied just on 5 and had bogeys on 2 and 6. She is tied for 48th.

The Filipino-Japanese Saso, who started her pro career at the Japan LPGA Tour and has won three titles a year ago, booked a spot as the No. 8 world ranked player and eighth ranked in the Tokyo Olympics list of players under the International Golf Federation (IGF).

Pagdanganan – No. 165 ranked player in the world – is the 44th golfer out of 60 that will vie for the gold medal.

Pagdanganan will again tee off with Ireland’s Leona Maguire and Matilda Castren of Finland at 9:47 a.m. in the second round Thursday.

Saso tees off at 10:25 a.m. alongside fellow women’s major champions in Lexi Thompson of the USA (2014 ANA Inspiration) and Brooke Henderson of Canada (2016 PGA Women’s Championship).