Japanese golfer wins LPGA Classic Marathon thanks to natural disaster

Hataoka took the lead from the start of the tournament, hitting 61-69-64 respectively through three rounds on par71 and then monopolizing the top of the table. By the end of the third day, she was six strokes ahead of the T2 group consisting of Elizabeth Szokol and Mina Harigae.

In the final round of the tournament on July 11, Hataoka started the last round, had to stop after two swings because the Organizing Committee pulled the whistle to evacuate all players from the field because of bad weather.

Meteorologists have been monitoring weather changes all day, but the situation is still not positive. The option to move the last round to the next day is also impossible, because it is forecasted that it will rain even more on Monday.

“We have calculated the plan to end the tournament at the beginning of the week but the weather does not allow it,” Sue Witters – LPGA Tour Vice President in charge of law and competition – updated the situation via AP.

In the end, the Organizing Committee chose 54 holes as the final achievement. Hataoka received the announcement of the championship with a bonus of 300,000 USD after more than seven hours of waiting while Szokol and Harigae were equal at 157,123 USD for T2. The last time the LPGA Tour closed the event after three rounds was 10 months ago, at the Cambia Portland Classic 2020 due to a wildfire in Oregon.

With Marathon LPGA Classic 2021, Hataoka is crowned in the US arena for the fourth time. The event in Ohio recently recorded her in high form with 24 birdies and five bogey over 54 holes. Particularly for the first round, Japanese players 10 birdies and no bogey. Through three games, she reached 266 yards in two holes, which was recorded by the LPGA Tour as the average teeing distance, hit 37 of the 42 fairways, went to the green according to the 48-hole standard, averaging 27 putts per leg.

Before this tournament, Hataoka missed the opportunity to win the major US Women’s Open when he lost to Yuka Saso on the back hole in early June and went through two events in which he was eliminated at the major Women’s PGA Championship.

Hataoka was born in 1999, joined the LPGA Tour in 2017, relegated after the first season and has firmly maintained his membership card since 2018 with a bonus of $4.23 million so far. She is currently ranked 11th in the world women’s golf rankings (Rolex Rankings).

Quoc Huy