Japanese golfer Nasa Hataoka shoots an unthinkable round score of 66 at Pebble Beach in the US Women’s Open

Nasa Hataoka has caught the attention of the audience at the 2023 US Women's Open being held at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Her Saturday round at the event was nothing short of remarkable. With weather conditions being less than ideal, Hataoka persevered through the true test at the iconic golf course.

Bouncy greens and high winds do not make a good combination for golfers. Yet, that is what the field was faced with going into the third round of the US Open. The numbers put in by golfers were off the charts- from quintuple bogeys to 15-over par, the course was taking a toll on everyone.

Hataoka, however, seemed to be in a world of her own. Not only did she keep par at the US Open, but absolutely crushed it by shooting a 66. The six-time LPGA Champion shot the lowest round of the US Open so far. Her third round was four shots clear of the closest golfer.

The fantastic result saw Nasa Hataoka's name skyrocket to the top of the leaderboard. She currently sits in sole first place, one shot clear of Allisen Corpuz. Round 2 leader Bailey Tardy finds herself in third place.

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Nasa Hataoka's impressive statistics at US Open 2023

Nasa Hataoka bested the field average of 74.69 by nine-hole shots, shooting a six-under for the day. The key to her impressive performance was her short game.

While she might have ranked 21st in driving distance, her short game was almost unbeatable. Hataoka managed to hit 12 out of the 18 greens, and had only 24 putts on Saturday. It was around three weeks ago that she and her coach decided to change strategies and improve her short stroke.

Speaking via Sports Illustrated, she said:

“Actually from about three weeks ago with the assistance of my coach, I was able to change my strategy. I would say that prior to that I felt that my strokes were not as good as they should have been, and I didn't think that the way the ball was tumbling around, that was not very stable beforehand."

Her new game plan is certainly working, as she now stands in contention to win the US Women's Open.