DIO IMPLANT LA OPEN

April 24, 2022

Nasa Hataoka

Wilshire Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, everyone, welcome inside the virtual media center here at the DIO Implant LA Open. I am pleased to be joined by the 2022 winner, Nasa Hataoka.

Nasa, just take me through what this final day was like. What was the mindset as you headed into the final round with that 4-shot lead?

NASA HATAOKA: I did have a lead, but obviously this course, this challenging course, you never know what's going to happen, so I was able to focus until the last putt.

Q. How important was starting off with that birdie on No. 1?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, that was a pretty long birdie putt. Didn't think it was going to roll down, but was a good way to start.

Q. From there, carding three more birdies and just one bogey. Made the turn at 14-under. What were you thinking as you made the turn?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, my goal set for today was 15-under, and I was playing good the first nine holes. My plan was to birdie as much as possible on the first nine holes, and I feel like I was able to do that.

So that helped me a lot.

Q. Take me through also the eagle to just put a stomp on everything there as well.

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, that eagle really helped me kind of relax a little bit, kind of feel like -- you know, I feel like I was putting really good today.

Q. Nasa, six career wins; your first since the 2021 Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship. How does it feel to become a six-time LPGA winner?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, last year my fifth victory was special, too. Six victory was also special.

I would like to keep counting more and more.

Q. You were the only player in the field with all four rounds in the 60s. Obviously you were striking the ball very well. Talk about your ball striking this week and also putting on poana greens didn't seem to bother you at all. Seemed to roll it beautifully. Talk a little bit about your putting.

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, to be honest, the first day I wasn't feeling good with my iron game, but the 7th hole I had something that clicked inside me, so that really helped me through all week.

Putting-wise, poana greens are really difficult to play, but my experience on this type of green helped me a lot.

Q. Can you talk about the bogey putt on 6, how important that was to make that putt and kind of keep some momentum going?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, that bogey putt was really important for me today. I was able to keep the momentum going. Yes, that helped me a lot.

Q. Did you see this kind of performance coming? You missed the cut last week. Was your game rounding into shape as you came here today?

NASA HATAOKA: I don't know if I can compare this, but on the PGA Tour, Jordan Spieth missed the cut at the Masters and then won Heritage.

So you never know what's going to happen in golf, so I think that was something that boosted my confidence.

Q. What specifically did you do early in the week to turn things? Because you missed the cut last week. What did you do to your game? Did you find something and make an adjustment?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, last week my condition wasn't that bad. I missed the cut. I arrived here a little early and then I did some lesson with my coach in Japan, video chat, and was about hour and a half.

He mentioned about the ball position on my stance, and that kind of helped me a lot.

Q. Did you send a swing video?

NASA HATAOKA: Like FaceTime.

Q. FaceTime.

NASA HATAOKA: Yeah.

Q. What's your coach's name?

NASA HATAOKA: He's not like officially like working together. Just kind of like -- I haven't met him in person yet so I don't know if we can say that or not.

I know it's strange situation.

Q. It's one thing to go through a lesson; it's another thing to implement it in a tournament. How hard was it to put those changes in this week?

NASA HATAOKA: Because I wasn't playing -- I didn't play good last week, I knew I had to make a change. So it wasn't really hard to try something new for me, to be honest.

So because of that, I think I was able to concentrate more this week.

Q. You mentioned on the green about going against Jin Young at CME. How much was that on your mind throughout the week and going head to head against her?

NASA HATAOKA: She's definitely one of the best players in the world. She's all round. She doesn't have weak points. I feel like I need to work on my short game, especially inside 100 yards.

And putting. Putting-wise I was doing really good this week. Had couple missed shots inside 100 yards, but I think I was able to concentrate.

Q. Was that the first time you had a lesson with that coach?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes. We texted before, but it was the first time doing a video chat, yeah.

Q. And you're now tied with Jessica Korda for the most wins by any player on the LPGA without a major title. How important is it to you to win a major?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, major is something I'm looking, something important for me. I had few chances that I was really close on winning.

You know, like talking, repeating same. If I could have done better with my short game I feel like I was more closer to winning.

So for me, it's really important to play with confidence.

Q. Congratulations, Nasa.

NASA HATAOKA: Thank you.

Q. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit more about that swing change. You said that you changed your ball position. Did you have to move it farther forward or back?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, the biggest change was like middle irons. I was placing it a little bit towards right and away from my body, which did not help me hit the ball plain.

So that really helped me this week.

Q. I was going to ask if it was just irons or driver as well?

NASA HATAOKA: It's actually both, irons and drivers. Playing in a condition like last week's wind I tend to place the ball towards right, so I knew what I had to do, so I placed it left and I was able to adjust.

Q. Congratulations. Well-played.

NASA HATAOKA: Thank you.

Q. Nasa, you putted exceptionally well today. Can you describe what you felt on the greens this week?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, this poana is very difficult. I was focusing on hitting straight, hitting center of the face, and also the touch was something that was really important this week.

Q. And you said on Friday that something clicked inside of you. Was that the ball position or was that something else?

NASA HATAOKA: Yes. It was the second round, the 7th hole. I felt like I was placing the ball away from my body, and I placed it closer to my body, which that was like a good hint that helped me this week.

Q. Thank you very much.

NASA HATAOKA: Thank you.

Q. Nasa, Hannah Green finished with 10-under. That's good enough to win other tournaments; you finished much higher than that. We heard rumors were going to break a club record. I don't know if that's true. What does that say about the LPGA, the level of play from the field of athletes that we have? It just seems like getting higher and higher and better and better.

NASA HATAOKA: Yes, the level is definitely getting higher. I feel like you really have to play four solid rounds for you to win a tournament like this.

You know, every year the average distance is getting higher and higher. I feel like the level is getting high.

THE MODERATOR: With that, we will wrap it up here. Nasa, thank you for joining us. Good job this week.

NASA HATAOKA: Thank you, Megan.