AFP, Regina :
Japanese teenager Nasa Hataoka produced a final-hole birdie to grab a share of the first round lead at the Canadian Women’s Open on Thursday with a scintillating eight-under-par 64.
The 19-year-old prodigy joined a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard at Wascana Country Club in Regina after carding nine birdies and one bogey in a superb opening round.
Hataoka capped her strong start after nailing a birdie on her 18th hole to move alongside Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe at eight under.
All three members of the leading group equalled the course record at Wascana.
World number two Ariya, who bagged the second major of her career with victory at the US Women’s Open in June, drained nine birdies and only one bogey for her 64.
Uribe, ranked 173rd in the world, produced a flawless round with eight birdies and 10 pars.
Ariya made a dream start after teeing off on the 10th, reeling off four consecutive birdies to drop to four under early on.
She dropped a shot on her seventh hole of the day but then unleashed another birdie blitz on her inward nine, with five more birdies to finish on eight under.
Japanese teenager Nasa Hataoka produced a final-hole birdie to grab a share of the first round lead at the Canadian Women’s Open on Thursday with a scintillating eight-under-par 64.
The 19-year-old prodigy joined a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard at Wascana Country Club in Regina after carding nine birdies and one bogey in a superb opening round.
Hataoka capped her strong start after nailing a birdie on her 18th hole to move alongside Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe at eight under.
All three members of the leading group equalled the course record at Wascana.
World number two Ariya, who bagged the second major of her career with victory at the US Women’s Open in June, drained nine birdies and only one bogey for her 64.
Uribe, ranked 173rd in the world, produced a flawless round with eight birdies and 10 pars.
Ariya made a dream start after teeing off on the 10th, reeling off four consecutive birdies to drop to four under early on.
She dropped a shot on her seventh hole of the day but then unleashed another birdie blitz on her inward nine, with five more birdies to finish on eight under.
