One swing of the driver for Bianca Pagdanganan grabbed Brad Rickel’s attention.
Rickel, Gonzaga women's golf's head coach, was watching GU sophomore Dania Uy during a practice round at the 2013 Callaway Junior Golf World Championships at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California, but he soon divided his attention once he heard the ping of Pagdanganan’s driver coming from the second tee box.
He didn’t even see her tee off, but heard the sound that came with it.
“I needed to find out who hit that driver,” said Rickel.
Fast forward three years and Pagdanganan, a freshman on Rickel’s squad, became the first golfer — men’s or women’s — to qualify for the NCAA National Championship after tying for eighth at the Bryan Regional in Bryan, Texas with a 2-under 214.