JAPAN’S NASA HATAOKA fired a stunning six-under par 66 in blustery conditions at Pebble Beach to grab a one-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the US Women’s Open.

Hataoka — ranked 20th in the world — had the low round of the day by four strokes to move to seven-under par after 54 holes at the iconic California seaside course.

But there was disappointment for Irish duo Leona Maguire and Áine Donegan who both signed for rounds of three-over par 75 that saw them slip down the leaderboard.

Maguire will start her final round in 13th place on two-over, nine shots adrift of Hataoka, while Clare amateur Donegan — who made three early birdies before a quintuple bogey nine on the eighth hole — is tied for 19th place on four-over.

“I don’t think there was anything easy about today,” Maguire said afterwards. “I think you just had to get very creative with some of the shots. It was incredibly difficult.

“It was hard to get close to the pins. Even when you got close to the pins, it seemed like on the poa annua greens late on a Saturday they were bobbling all over the place. Nasa’s round was just incredible to do what she did.

“Yeah, it’s just an incredibly tough golf course, and there’s not really much you can do about it.”

Donegan — who remains the highest-placed amateur in the field — found positives in how she responded to her disastrous eighth hole. 

“The wind was really, really left to right there, and that wind often doesn’t suit a right-handed golfer who plays a draw,” she said. “Not that it makes a huge difference, or it’s an excuse. I hit two very bad shots in a row, which obviously concluded in me having a 9 on the hole.

“I had to keep moving on. I had still 10 holes left to play. It was very disappointing, but I’m pleased with how I finished after that.

She added: “I was three-under through 7, and then obviously I was two-over through 9. My coach said to me, ‘Áine, just act like you’ve just had seven pars and two bogeys. Forget about the fact that it’s a 9. At the end of the day you’ve had the exact same number of shots as seven pars and two bogeys.’ That’s what I did.

“I’m really happy with how I played the back nine, especially the back nine today is playing really tough. It’s really windy. It feels like home, to be honest, the back nine today.”

At the top, Hataoka — who is trying to become only the third Japanese woman to win a major title — beat the day’s scoring average by nearly nine shots with a magnificent display of shotmaking in a bogey-free round.

American Allisen Corpuz, seeking her first professional victory, was second on six-under with compatriot Bailey Tardy and South Korean Kim Hyo-joo sharing third on four-under.

South Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran and Shin Ji-yai complete the top five on two-under.

– © AFP 2023