Nasa Hataoka’s dad and mom named her after the U.S. area company so she would “attain for the celebs.”
Given her meteoric rise in golf, it’s becoming.
Hataoka was 17 years outdated when she earned her first Japan Ladies’s Open title. Throughout her LPGA Tour debut season in 2017, although, Hataoka made the minimize simply 9 instances in 17 occasions. The rocky takeoff didn’t final lengthy. She had 5 top-10 finishes in 2019 and has represented Japan within the Olympics.
She added one other win to her resume after a blinding remaining spherical Sunday at Wilshire Nation Membership.
The No. 12 golfer within the Rolex ladies’s world rankings rocketed up the leaderboard on the third day of the LA Open earlier than cruising throughout Sunday’s remaining spherical to earn her sixth LPGA Tour victory. She completed at 15-under-par 269 for the match after a four-under 67 within the remaining spherical to win by 5 strokes.
It was the 23-year-old Hataoka’s first victory because the 2021 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
She earned the type of win that makes an announcement to the remainder of the tour, ending one stroke off the match file rating that Brooke Henderson set final yr.
Hataoka entered Sunday at 11 underneath with a four-stroke lead following a late third-round collapse from top-ranked Jin Younger Ko. Ko and Hataoka had been tied for the lead on the fifteenth gap Saturday, then Ko bogeyed No. 16 and quadruple-bogeyed the seventeenth. Hataoka took the lead and didn’t look again.
“I actually centered on my sport, and I play good,” Hataoka mentioned following her victory. “... My placing [was] good all week.”
The win had an additional factor for Hataoka: defeating a good friend.
Australian Hannah Inexperienced, who entered Sunday in second place, shot a 68 within the remaining spherical however by no means put sufficient strain on Hataoka to make it aggressive. She bogeyed the 18th gap and completed in second at 10 underneath.
“I’ve recognized Nasa for years,” Inexperienced, 25, mentioned. “So it was actually cool to see Nasa. She’s clearly a really profitable participant, however it was very nice to be alongside her successful and simply alongside for the journey.”
Inexperienced lingered just a few strokes behind Hataoka, and the par-five fifteenth gap ended her hopes of rallying. Hataoka had parred seven consecutive holes earlier than she opened a six-stroke benefit with an eagle.
“My aim for right now was 15 underneath,” Hataoka mentioned. “I used to be taking part in fairly good on the primary 9 holes, just about in addition to potential. ... That eagle helped me chill out somewhat bit.”
Hataoka hasn’t had the best yr on tour. In eight earlier occasions, her greatest end was a tie for eleventh on the HSBC Ladies’s World Championship, although she had been within the high 20 six instances.
In 2018, Hataoka earned her first two victories on the LPGA Tour. She additionally competed that yr on the LA Open, ending in a tie for nineteenth.
Madelene Sagstrom shot a final-round 66 on Sunday, equaling the bottom of the day, and completed tied for third place at seven-under 277 with 2019 LA Open winner Minjee Lee (68) and Inbee Park (70).
“At first, it was actual straightforward,” Sagstrom mentioned. “I used to be actually placing properly. I feel I instructed my caddie after in all probability the fourth gap. I used to be like, it’s a type of days the place I simply knew I used to be going to make quite a lot of putts.”
Former UCLA standout Lilia Vu had a powerful Saturday, and she or he went 74-69-66 within the first three rounds to leap right into a tie for sixth getting into Sunday. She dropped off within the remaining spherical however nonetheless completed at five-under 279 for a share of tenth place.
Ko, who by no means appeared to get better from her struggles towards the tip of the third spherical, tied for twenty first. She shot a 75 on Sunday and completed at two-under 282.
As an alternative of Ko, it was Hataoka who turned in an astronomical efficiency to shut out the primary of two consecutive LPGA Tour occasions within the Los Angeles space. The Palos Verdes Championship begins Thursday.
“Each time I play with Nasa, she’s actually strong with the whole lot,” Inexperienced mentioned. “I don’t assume the whole lot was like actually nice. I really feel like she’s simply constant.”
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