Bad weather prevented the final round of the TOTO Japan Classic from being played, so the tournament was reduced to 54 holes and the rankings were made valid after the third round in which the Japanese Nasa Hataoka (65 68 68) and Yuna Araki (70 66 65) were in the lead with 201 (-15) shots. The title was decided in a playoff played on the par-5 18th hole, shortened by 130 yards and played as a par-three, won by Nasa Hataoka with a par, her second title after her first in 2018.
LPGA, results
Homegrown players dominated, with seven in the top nine: Miyu Yamashita, third with a 202 (-14), Shuri Sukuma, fourth with a 204 (-12), Ai Suzuki, fifth with a 205 (-11), Sayaka Takahashi, sixth with a 206 (-10), along with Korean Jiyai Shin, Kotone Hori, eighth with a 207 (-9), and Shina Kanazawa, ninth with a 208 (-8). Six other Japanese players also finished in tenth place in the field of eleven, with a 209 (-7).
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Benedetta Moresco, a 24-year-old from Vicenza, the only Italian in the competition, finished 69th with a 219 (71-74-74, +3).
Nasa Hataoka, a 26-year-old from Kasama, notched her seventh LPGA Tour victory in a season in which she made the cut 19 times in 22 events, with seven other top-ten finishes. Her list of victories also includes five on the LPGA of Japan Tour, not including two TOTO Japan Opens. She received a check for $315,000 out of a prize pool of $2,100,000, bringing her season earnings to $1,319,999 and her career earnings to $10,831,430.
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