Much has been made of the winless streak of Jin Young Ko and the recently broken one of Minjee Lee, but not many have talked about it for Nasa Hataoka.
Between 2018-2022, Hataoka was one of the best and most consistent young players on the LPGA Tour. She won six times in that five-season stretch and had seven top-10 finishes in major championships. She was top-10 in the Rolex Rankings at the end of each season, and finished top-five on the money list three times. She was unquestionably the biggest star from Japan in the women’s game.
Fast forward to 2025, and Hataoka hasn’t won since the 2022 LA Open in April of that year. Her last top-10 finish in a major was in 2023 and she has just three top-three finishes overall in a little over three years. Japan is now dominant in the women’s game, and Hataoka is now the seventh highest ranked player from the country at No. 41.
Now, at the tournament Hataoka has had the most success in her career, things may be looking up.
The two-time NW Arkansas Championship winner is at -7 through the first round, one back of the lead in a tie for third. She was as close to flawless as can be with her ball striking, hitting 12/13 fairways and 17 greens in regulation. She made six birdies, an eagle and just one bogey in that opening round.
It was a good time to bet on Hataoka to have a strong performance, as she’s found by far her best form in years over the last few weeks. After a pretty mediocre stretch over the Summer months, Hataoka has been terrific since the Tour returned to the states. Hataoka finished seventh in Boston and followed that up with her first top-five finish of the season last week in Cincinnati.
Considering her two wins and additional top 10 at Pinnacle Country Club, Hataoka should be a strong bet heading into the weekend.
