PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Neither the wind at Pebble Beach nor the stage of a U.S. Women’s Open could stop Nasa Hataoka, who delivered the best round in the toughest conditions Saturday for a 6-under 66 and a 1-shot lead.
Hataoka not only posted the low score of the championship, but she played bogey-free on a day Pebble Beach dished out big numbers without much warning. Her 66 was nearly nine shots better than the field average.
More important, it left the 24-year-old from Japan one round away from her first major. Hataoka has lost playoffs at two majors, including two years ago to Yuka Saso at the U.S. Women’s Open up the California coast at Olympic Club.
Allisen Corpuz was right there with her until the end, when the Hawaii native missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 17th and then caught a plugged lie in the bunker that runs along the ocean wall on the 18th. She had to pitch out to the fairway and missed her 15-foot par putt.
Corpuz had a 71 — one of 10 players who broke par on Saturday — and will be in the final group with Hataoka on Sunday.
The first LPGA major in prime time brought sunny views of the most famous coastline course in America and a mixture of brilliance and blunders in wind that gusted over 20 mph.
Hataoka, six shots behind at the start of…
