Japan’s Nasa Hataoka fired a stunning six-under-par 66 in blustery conditions at Pebble Beach to grab a one-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the US Women’s Open.
Hataoka had the low round of the day by four strokes to stand on seven-under 209 after 54 holes at the iconic California seaside course.
The world No 20, trying to become only the third Japanese woman to win a Major title, beat the day’s scoring average by nearly nine shots with a magnificent display of shotmaking in a bogey-free round.
“I would say that from around the 7th hole I started to feel the wind, and of course we were at the waterfront, so it was quite different,” Hataoka said.
“Then I had some of the par saves and so compared to my last two days, I think that from the back nine onwards I did pretty well.”
American Allisen Corpuz, seeking her first professional victory, was second on six-under 210 with compatriot Bailey Tardy and South Korean Kim Hyo-joo sharing third on four-under 212 with South Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran and Shin Ji-yai both on two-under 214.
South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai is on six-over 222 (T38) after carding a 72 that included five birdies and five bogeys.
“Just being in contention any week is always a little nerve-wracking but really excited, really grateful to be in this position,” Corpuz said of her place in Sunday’s final group.
“It means a ton. It’s just really special to be in the final pairing and I’m really excited and looking forward to it.”
Hataoka sank a six-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, blasted out of a bunker to within inches of the hole for a tap-in birdie at the par-five 6th and then sank a tense nine-foot par putt at the 9th hole.
The 24-year-old Asian star sank birdie putts on the back nine from 23 feet at 10, 15 feet at the 13th, just inside 40 feet at the 16th and from 11 feet at the par-three 17th.
Hataoka is a two-time Major runner-up, having shared second at the 2018 Women’s PGA Championship and two years ago at the US Women’s Open at The Olympic Club in nearby San Francisco.
She hopes to apply some lessons learned from 2021 at the Olympics to her final-round fight for a Major breakthrough.
“I think the quality of the greens and the grass quality is similar, and there are quite a bit of uphill areas as well as a great deal of bounce here,” she said. “So I’m hoping I can keep in mind while I’m playing tomorrow everything that I’ve learned through my putting practice and to be able to be victorious.”
Corpuz, seeking her first LPGA Tour triumph, shared a Major lead at the Chevron Championship before settling for fourth.
“It showed me that I do belong out here, that I’m definitely good enough to compete,” Corpuz said. “I must just try to be a little more comfortable and let my game show itself.”
Qualifier Bailey Tardy, ranked 455th in the world, led by two when the day began but struggled to a 75.
“I struggled a little bit off the tee. I didn’t hit as many fairways as I wanted to, but it was super windy out there,” she said. “I’m proud of the way I hung in there but there’s definitely room for improvement.”
© Agence France-Presse
