Nasa Hataoka finished tied for fourth at the U.S. Women's Open on Sunday, with the overnight leader failing to secure her first major title after slumping to a 4-over 76 in the final round.
The 24-year-old began the day with a one-shot lead but carded one birdie and five bogeys at Pebble Beach Golf Links to finish with a 3-under 285 total, six shots behind American Allisen Corpuz, who won her first tour title at a major.
Hataoka had a birdie and bogey on the front nine and was tied at the top with Corpuz at the turn. But bogeys on the 12th and 14th holes left her with a mountain to climb before she bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17.
"I was playing with the same aggressive mindset as the third round, but I'm frustrated things didn't go well," said Hataoka, who had a bogey-free 66 under strong wind a day earlier.
"I couldn't adjust the sense of distance at times. Even my par putts from two, three meters out didn't drop."
It was another moment of heartbreak for the Ibaraki Prefecture native, who has twice lost in a playoff at the majors, the first being at the Women's PGA Championship in 2018 before the U.S. Women's Open in 2021.
Among other Japanese contestants, Ayaka Furue shot a 69 and placed sixth at 2-under. Aya Kinoshita came 13th and the 2021 winner Yuka Saso finished 20th.