Hataoka sneaks up on leaders, emerges on top after windswept day at the U.S. Women's Open.

Everyone struggled on Saturday at a windswept Pebble Beach Golf Links…well, almost everyone.

Nasa Hataoka fired a 6-under 66 to take control–for the moment–of the U.S. Women’s Open, a stroke ahead of Allisen Corpuz on a day when the course and its fickle weather turned on much of the field.

No other golfer could match Hataoka. She played almost 9 strokes ahead of the average for the day. Among the top ten on the leaderboard, only Jiyai Shin, with a 2-under 70, approached her performance.

“I think that from the back nine onwards, I did pretty well,” Hataoka says, as if to downplay the achievement a day after she carded a disappointing 2-under 74.

Corpuz, who spent much of Saturday at the top of the leaderboard, bogeyed 18 to drop into second heading into Sunday’s final round. Hyo Joo Kim and Bailey Tardy survived bouts of trouble to remain in contention at 4-under.

Shin and Hae Ran Ryu are the only remaining golfers under par, sitting 5 strokes back.

Below the day’s top five, Saturday’s third round was largely a story of carnage. Only 11 of the 74 golfers who survived the cut managed to record rounds under par.

An example of how Pebble Beach can toy with emotions can be found in Amari Avery, the amateur from Riverside. On the front nine she made a quick move into contention, carding a birdie on one and an eagle on two. By the six hole, Avery was 4-under to start the round.

But six bogeys and two doubles followed, and she plummeted into a tie for 57th.

“It’s pretty difficult, especially the back nine–with the trees blocking some of the wind,” Tardy points out. “It’s hard to judge if the wind is helping or hurting.”

Aine Donegan, the low amateur at 4-over in a tie for 19th after Saturday’s round, suffered disaster on the 8th hole, where she recorded a 9–a full five strokes over par.

“The wind was really, really left to right there, and that wind often doesn’t suit a right-handed golfer who plays a draw,” she says. “It was very disappointing, but I’m pleased with how I finished after that.”

As others dropped from the chase, Saturday became a three-way duel between Tardy, Cortez and Kim, with Hataoka steadily sneaking up. Tardy began the day in the lead at 7-under and dropped just one stroke through 11 holes. But a bogey on 12 and a double on 15 sent the LPGA Tour rookie momentarily reeling.

“Thought my chip was going to check. It didn’t,” she said of her approach on 15. “Put myself in literally the worst spot you can do to that pin.”

However, a birdie on 16, followed by back-to-back pars kept her in the Sunday mix.

“I was leading the U.S. Open after two days,” Tardy notes. “I think there was a little bit of nerves involved today.”

A bogey on 18 dropped Corpuz from a tie at the top, otherwise the Hawaiian has been one of the few golfers unnerved by the whims of Pebble Beach, recording a 69-70-71 over three rounds.

But Hataoka was relentlessly flawless on Saturday. She opened with a birdie and played 2-under on the front nine. 

The Japanese golfer had started the day at 1-under after a disappointing second round 74. But on the back nine she caught fire–birdies on 10, 13, 16 and 17 and a bogey-free round. But it was her putt on 16 that marked the round, a perfectly weighted chip from 39 feet that found grip and curled sharply but slowly into the cup.

Hataoka credited the weather, which was cut by intermittent 18 mph winds, but was also bright and sunny.

“Compared to the first two days, it was a bit windier today,” she points out. “However, the temperatures were higher, thank goodness.”

Charley Hull and Angel Yin will start Sunday even for the tournament. Defending champion Minjee Lee and young phenom Rose Zhang are 1-over. Monterey native Mina Harigae is 4-over in a tie for 19th