Nasa Hataoka is out of this world. She has already taken two wins this season at the Dana Open presented by Marathon and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, as well as two other top 10 wins. Hataoka ranks third on the LPGA Tour in Sand Saves with 60.53% and this week was 10th in the Race to the CME Globe at the CME Group Tour Championship and fifth on the official money list for the 2021 season .
But after a bogey-free 64 who saw a 29 on her final nine and eight birdies on her final 10 holes on moving day, the 22-year-old reminded everyone at Tiburón Golf Club how astronomical she can go when she crosses the finish line Sunday tied with –14.
“I felt really good from the start,” she said after an attempt on Saturday that equalized the third-lowest round of her career, a number she shot nine more times. “I didn’t stroke my putts really well in the first nine, but I was patient with that. I focused more on my routine this week, which helped my game today. “
This is the seventh time Hataoka has held the lead or co-lead over 54 holes, and has won four times, most recently at both the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and the Dana Open earlier this year. At the season finale of the tour, in which she only played three times, Hataoka’s best finish in solo ninth is a record that she wants to break with a win on Sunday. With confidence from their game on Saturday and victorious experiences in previous co-leading situations, NASA is set for an outstanding Sunday and is looking forward to a chance at one of the largest purses in women’s golf.
“I haven’t played as consistently all year, but I thought the image of my golf was something very important to me, so I worked on it after Arkansas,” said Hataoka. “After shooting a good lap (today) I have a lot of things on my mind, but I try not to think too much about my game. For this week I have set myself the goal of just playing consistently and I want to do my best tomorrow. “