LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Japanese golf fans would love to see a rivalry between Nasa Hataoka and Hinako Shibuno push them both to the medal stage with the Olympics in Tokyo later this year.
Hataoka more than senses that.
She hears it.
“This offseason, all the Japanese media was asking me about the Olympics, about Shibuno, comparing us,” Hataoka said through a translator. “It adds some stress.”
Hataoka, 20, is relishing a chance to compete for the gold medal in her homeland.
“I watched the Olympic golf in Rio in 2016, and it made me really want to play,” said Hataoka, whose 2-under-par 69 Friday left her just two shots off the lead at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.