Hataoka leads Japan Classic after second round

Nasa Hataoka holds a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the LPGA Tour's Toto Japan Classic. The defending champion recorded an eight-under-par 64 on Friday. Her score included an eagle on the par-5 17th hole.

Hataoka finished the back nine with a 30. Her total for the first 36 holes is 12-under-par 132. She won last year's tournament in a playoff during a rain-shortened event.

Miyu Yamashita sits in second place with a one-stroke deficit. The winner of last week's Maybank Championship in Malaysia shot 67 on Friday. Her only bogey of the day occurred on the 18th hole after her tee shot pulled into the fairway.

Ana Belac and Fuka Suga are tied for third, two strokes behind the leader. Belac, who became the first Slovenian player on the LPGA Tour in 2021, shot 65. Suga shot 67. Belac earned her spot in the field when Ariya Jutanugarn withdrew on Monday due to an undisclosed injury.

Hataoka, who grew up near the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course northeast of Tokyo, has five top-10 finishes this season. She said through an interpreter that she was happy to play well in front of many Japanese fans. The Japan Classic is the final event of the LPGA's late-season Asian swing. Ruoning Yin won the LPGA Shanghai on Oct. 18 to begin the series, and Yuri Yoshida won the following tournament in South Korea.