Nasa Hataoka said Saturday evening after grabbing a four-shot lead at the DIO Implant LA Open that “something clicked inside me.”
She wasn’t kidding.
The 23-year-old Japanese star birdied four of her first seven holes Sunday at Wilshire Country Club to leave the rest of the field in the dust. She eventually cruised to a five-shot win, carding a 4-under 67 to finish at 15 under.
Hataoka’s next closest competitor was Hannah Green, who finished at 10 under.
After the hot start, Hataoka cooled a bit with seven straight pars, though Green was still five shots behind as they headed to the par-5 15th hole.