Page 21 - Golf Champion -May 2022

tarry-eyed dreamers have flocked to Los Angeles for Like Spieth, Hataoka missed the cut in her last start at the
Salmost two centuries in search of something. For LOTTE Championship. Disappointed in her performance,
some it’s fame, for others it’s fortune. For all, it’s a chance she spent the time ahead of the L.A. Open on FaceTime
to be great. Not all will see their dreams realized in the retooling her swing with a mystery instructor in Japan,
City of Angels. But for some, it's their destiny that they who she has never met in person.
should become a star. It’s not unlike the dreamers of yesteryear, who would
Nasa Hataoka, whose parents named her after the United leave their hometown behind and head for the bright
States’ space program with the hopes she would aspire lights of the big city knowing no one. They placed all
to great heights, saw her name in the equivalent of golf’s their trust in agents they'd never met to promote their
bright lights atop the leaderboard at Wilshire Country interests and careers. It worked for some. And it worked
Club. In the shadow of Los Angeles’ famed Hollywood for Hataoka.
sign, Hataoka carded a final-round, 67 for a show- “I knew I had to make a change,” admitted Hataoka,
stopping five-stroke victory at the DIO Implant LA Open. whose mystery coach had the 23-year-old make a shift in
“I would like to keep counting more and more,” Hataoka her stance and ball position. “It wasn't really hard to try
said about capturing her sixth career win on the LPGA something new for me, to be honest. So because of that, I
Tour. think I was able to concentrate more this week.”
The Japanese star came to L.A. in search of a comeback. Plagued throughout her career with painful injuries,
Nataoka equated her victory to what Jordan Spieth Jessica Korda is looking to rewrite her story with her
achieved in recent weeks with his bounce-back victory at trip to Los Angeles. It's the first time Korda will compete
the RBC Heritage after he missed the cut at the Masters. since her runner-up finish at the Chevron Championship

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