After two rounds at the Blue Bay LPGA, the first event of the season held in China, Nasa Hataoka and Cassie Porter have taken a one-stroke lead over the field at -7.
On a tough day for scoring, Hataoka got out early in the day and scored well right off the bat. Hataoka came out of nowhere to make birdies on five of her first six holes, propelling her up the leaderboard. Overall she shot a -6 66 for the round, the lowest round in the field for the week. Hataoka needed only 23 putts to get through her round.
This is a big week for the veteran for Japan, who hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since April of 2022. Hataoka has fallen to No. 35 in the world and is the sixth highest Japanese player in the Rolex Rankings. She has a lot of work to do to return to the International Crown team, and winning here would be a big step.
Joining her at the top is rookie Cassie Porter, who has had back-to-back rounds in the 60s to start her week. The young Australian has been dominant with her short game this week despite average ball striking numbers, needing only 50 putts to get through the first two rounds.
Just behind the leaders, at -6, is rookie phenom Rio Takeda, who is looking for her second-career win. The No. 17 ranked player in the world had 16 pars on Friday, but an eagle and a birdie on the other two gave her one of the best rounds of the day.
The third round of the Blue Bay LPGA picks back up tonight on Golf Channel.
