Nasa Hataoka takes flight, soars to five-stroke victory in LA Open

Nasa Hataoka’s mother and father named her after the U.S. area company so she would “attain for the celebrities.”

Given her meteoric rise in golf, it’s becoming.

Hataoka was 17 years previous 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 occasions 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 will be able to add one other win to her resume after a stunning ultimate spherical Sunday at Wilshire Nation Membership.

The No.12 golfer within the Rolex girls’s world rankings rocketed up the leaderboard on the third day of the LA Open earlier than cruising throughout Sunday’s ultimate spherical to earn her sixth LPGA Tour victory. She completed at 15-under-par 269 for the event after a four-under 67 within the ultimate spherical to win by 5 strokes.

It was the 23-year-old Hataoka’s first victory for the reason that 2021 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

She earned the sort of win that makes an announcement to the remainder of the tour, ending one stroke off the event file rating that Brooke Henderson set final 12 months.

Hataoka entered Sunday at 11under 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 targeted 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 buddy.

Australian Hannah Inexperienced, who entered Sunday in second place, shot a 68 within the ultimate 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, but it surely was very nice to be alongside her profitable and simply alongside for the experience.”

Inexperienced lingered a number of 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 objective for right now was 15under,” 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 loosen up slightly bit.”

Hataoka hasn’t had the simplest 12 months 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 top20 six occasions.

In 2018, Hataoka earned her first two victories on the LPGA Tour. She additionally competed that 12 months 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 nicely. I feel I informed my caddie after in all probability the fourth gap. I used to be like, it’s a kind of days the place I simply knew I used to be going to make loads of putts.”

Former UCLA standout Lilia Vu had a robust Saturday, and he or she went 74-69-66 within the first three rounds to leap right into a tie for sixth coming into Sunday. She dropped off within the ultimate 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 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 suppose the whole lot was like actually nice. I really feel like she’s simply constant.”