Nasa Hataoka disqualified after first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic

GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) — Nasa Hataoka was disqualified from the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Saturday after tournament officials reviewed the videotape of her final hole in the first round and found she took too long to search for a lost ball.

Hataoka, who shot a 6-under 65 to tie for fourth on the Bay Course at Seaview Resort, was informed of the disqualification on Saturday. A start time was scheduled for her.

In a statement, the LPGA said Hataoka played her second shot at No. 9 into the long fescue grass surrounding the green. After reviewing the video footage provided for the tour after the round, it was determined that the search for NASA’s ball exceeded the allotted three minutes.

According to the rules, the ball is considered lost after time expires and the player must take the next shot from the same spot as the previous one.

The six-time LPGA winner from Japan found the ball in the fescue after the search time expired and played from that spot.

When Hataoka did not play from where she had previously played, she played from the wrong place and violated Rule 14.7.

“Because the spot where she played could give the player a significant advantage compared to the stroke to be made from the correct spot, this is considered a serious breach of Rule 14.7 with a penalty of disqualification if not corrected in time ,” the LPGA said in its statement on X.

Hataoka did not correct the error before leaving the scoring area.