Nasa Hataoka
Japanese professional golfer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nasa Hataoka (畑岡 奈紗, Hataoka Nasa; born 13 January 1999) is a Japanese professional golfer. She has won seven times on the LPGA Tour and seven times on the LPGA of Japan Tour.
| Nasa Hataoka | |
|---|---|
Hataoka at the 2022 Dana Open | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 13 January 1999 Kasama, Ibaraki, Japan |
| Height | 158 cm (5 ft 2 in) |
| Sporting nationality | |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2016 |
| Current tour | LPGA Tour |
| Former tour | LPGA of Japan Tour |
| Professional wins | 12 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| LPGA Tour | 7 |
| LPGA of Japan Tour | 7 |
| Best results in LPGA major championships | |
| Chevron Championship | T7: 2020 |
| Women's PGA C'ship | T2: 2018 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 2nd: 2021 |
| Women's British Open | T7: 2022 |
| Evian Championship | T3: 2023 |
Amateur career
Hataoka was born on 13 January 1999, named after the United States space program, NASA.[1] As an amateur, she won the 2016 Japan Women's Open Golf Championship, a major tournament on the LPGA of Japan Tour. She was the youngest player and first amateur to win a JLPGA major.[2] She turned professional after her victory[3] and competed in the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. She finished 14th to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2017.[4]
Professional career
2017
In 2017, Hataoka played on both the LPGA Tour and LPGA of Japan Tour. On the LPGA Tour, she made 9 cuts in 17 events and finished 140th on the money list, losing her card. On the LPGA of Japan Tour, she won two events, including a second Japan Women's Open, and finished 14th on the money list. She again competed in the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, finishing first to re-earn her LPGA Tour card for 2018.[5]
2018
Playing almost exclusively on the LPGA Tour in 2018, Hataoka won two events, the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship[6][7] and the Toto Japan Classic, which was co-sanctioned with the JLPGA.[8] Her Toto Japan Classic win took her into the top 10 of the Women's World Golf Rankings.[9] At the 2018 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Hataoka lost in a playoff to Park Sung-hyun. She also finished tied for 10th at the 2018 U.S. Women's Open. She finished the season 5th on the money list and 3rd on the Race to the CME Globe.[10]
2019
On 31 March 2019, Hataoka won the Kia Classic at Aviara, closing with a 5-under-par 67 to clinch a three-stroke victory.[11]
2021
In June 2021, Hataoka started the final round of the U.S. Women's Open in sixth place. She shot a final round 67 at The Olympic Club and got into a playoff with Yuka Saso. Saso won with a birdie on the third playoff hole.[12]
Hataoka won her fourth LPGA Tour title, the Marathon Classic by six strokes, after 54 holes, because poor weather conditions made the course unplayable on Sunday, 11 July.[13]
Hataoka won her fifth LPGA title, and the second time (2018) in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, at Rogers, Arkansas on 26 September, by a stroke, after 54 holes. Minjee Lee and Ji Eun-hee were tied for second place. She set the scoring record in the 2018 event. She is ranked third for a Japanese golfer in wins.[14] With her $345,000 win, she rose to second place in the money ranking, trailing only number 1 world-ranked Nelly Korda.[15]
2022
In 2022, she won the DIO Implant LA Open on 24 April, her sixth win on the LPGA Tour, and the $225,000 prize. Her world ranking jumped six places, from 12 to 6,[16] which is where she ranked at the end of 2021.[17] She had missed the cut in her previous tournament the week before at the Lotte Championship, but won by five strokes over Hannah Green. She had a six-stroke lead after the 17th hole with a chance to tie the tournament record at 268, but bogeying the 18th made it a 269.[1] With a four-stroke lead going into the final round, her new ball position and swing change that weekend from a new coach, helped her miss only four fairways and seven greens.[18]
Amateur wins
- 2015 IMG Academy Junior World Championship, Kanto Junior Championship, Faldo Series Asia Japan Championship
- 2016 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, Kanto Amateur Championship, Ciputra World Junior Championship, IMG Academy Junior World Championship
Source:[19]
Professional wins (12)
LPGA Tour wins (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Jun 2018 | Walmart NW Arkansas Championship | 64-65-63=192 | −21 | 6 strokes | 300,000 | |
| 2 | 4 Nov 2018 | Toto Japan Classica | 66-69-67=202 | −14 | 2 strokes | 225,000 | |
| 3 | 31 Mar 2019 | Kia Classic | 69-70-64-67=270 | −18 | 3 strokes | 270,000 | |
| 4 | 11 Jul 2021 | Marathon Classicb | 61-69-64=194 | −19 | 6 strokes | 300,000 | |
| 5 | 26 Sep 2021 | Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (2) | 65-65-67=197 | −16 | 1 stroke | 345,000 | |
| 6 | 24 Apr 2022 | DIO Implant LA Open | 67-68-67-67=269 | −15 | 5 strokes | 225,000 | |
| 7 | 9 Nov 2025 | Toto Japan Classic (2) a b | 65-68-68=201 | −15 | Playoff | 315,000 | |
a Co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Japan Tour.
b Reduced to 54 holes due to weather.
LPGA Tour playoff record (1–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018 | Kingsmill Championship | Jutanugarn won with birdie on second extra hole Chun eliminated by birdie on first hole | |
| 2 | 2018 | KPMG Women's PGA Championship | Park won with birdie on second extra hole. Hataoka eliminated by par on first extra hole. | |
| 3 | 2020 | Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions | López won with birdie on seventh extra hole Park eliminated by par on third hole | |
| 4 | 2021 | U.S. Women's Open | Tied two-hole aggregate playoff Saso won with birdie on third playoff hole: Hataoka: 4-4=8 (E), 4, Saso: 4-4=8 (E), 3 | |
| 5 | 2025 | Toto Japan Classic | Won with par on first extra hole |
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Oct 2016 | Japan Women's Open Golf Championshipa | 70-72-70-68=280 | −4 | 1 stroke | |
| 2 | 24 Sep 2017 | Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Women's Open Golf Tournament | 74-64-65=203 | −13 | 4 strokes | |
| 3 | 1 Oct 2017 | Japan Women's Open Golf Championship | 67-68-68-65=268 | −20 | 8 strokes | |
| 4 | 4 Nov 2018 | Toto Japan Classicb | 66-69-67=202 | −14 | 2 strokes | |
| 5 | 15 Sep 2019 | Japan LPGA Championship Konica Minolta Cup | 69-67-67-67=270 | −18 | 8 strokes | |
| 6 | 6 Oct 2019 | Japan Women's Open Golf Championship | 67-67-67-69=270 | −18 | 4 strokes | |
| 7 | 9 Nov 2025 | Toto Japan Classicb | 65-68-68=201 | –15 | Playoff |
a Hataoka won the 2016 Japan Women's Open Golf Championship as an amateur.
b Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour.
Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in LPGA of Japan Tour.
Results in LPGA majors
Results not in chronological order.
| Tournament | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | T48 | T39 | T7 | T67 | T17 | T37 | T13 | T52 | CUT | |
| U.S. Women's Open | T10 | CUT | T23 | 2 | T28 | T4 | T44 | CUT | T6 | |
| Women's PGA Championship | CUT | T2 | T14 | T3 | CUT | T5 | T47 | CUT | T36 | |
| The Evian Championship | T16 | CUT | NT | T15 | T3 | CUT | T59 | |||
| Women's British Open | CUT | CUT | T64 | T26 | T7 | T11 | T37 | T33 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
T = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Women's PGA Championship | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| The Evian Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Women's British Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Totals | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 41 | 31 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 13 (2021 Women's British Open – 2024 U.S. Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (three times)
LPGA Tour career summary
| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made * | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank | Scoring average | Scoring rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T50 | n/a | n/a | 74.00 | n/a |
| 2017 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 37,852 | 140 | 72.67 | 137 |
| 2018 | 24 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1,454,261 | 5 | 70.10 | 10 |
| 2019 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 917,273 | 18 | 70.31 | 18 |
| 2020 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | T2 | 854,024 | 5 | 70.11 | 5 |
| 2021 | 21 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1,901,081 | 3 | 70.46 | 25 |
| 2022 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1,402,138 | 13 | 69.94 | 14 |
| 2023 | 23 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | T2 | 1,988,216 | 8 | 70.16 | 9 |
| 2024 | 26 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | T3 | 956,586 | 37 | 70.97 | 30 |
| 2025 | 23 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1,579,999 | 20 | 69.92 | 8 |
| Totals^ | 193 (2017) | 161 (2017) | 7 | 10 | 5 | 55 | 1 | 11,091,430 | 26 |
^ Official as of 2025 season[20][21][22]
* Includes matchplay and other tournaments without a cut.
World ranking
Team appearances
Amateur
- Espirito Santo Trophy (representing Japan): 2016
- Patsy Hankins Trophy (representing Asia/Pacific): 2016 (winners)
Professional
- International Crown (representing Japan): 2018, 2023
- Amata Friendship Cup (representing Japan): 2018