Japanese golfer Nasa Hataoka will be looking to win her first major title on Sunday as she leads the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.
Hataoka, a six-time LPGA Tour winner, tops the leaderboard after three rounds in California, one shot ahead of American Allisen Corpuz.
She had to master windy conditions during her bogey-free 66 on Saturday – one of only 11 players to shoot under-par in the testing weather.
“I would say that from around the seventh hole I started to feel the wind, and of course we were at the waterfront, so it was quite different,” said Hataoka of the conditions at Pebble Beach.
“Then, of course, 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.”
After birdieing the first and sixth holes in her excellent third-round performance, Hataoka produced four more birdies on the back nine – including back-to-back on the 16th and 17th holes.
The 24-year-old, a runner-up at the 2021 US Women’s Open and the 2018 Women’s PGA Championship, will likely have to hold off a challenge from Corpuz if she is to win her first major title.
The Hawaiian native bogeyed the 18th hole during her one-under 71 as she searches for her first professional win.
Behind Corpuz on four-under overall are South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo and the USA’s Bailey Tardy, who shot 73 and 75 respectively on Saturday.