What do you get when you name your daughter after America’s space program and dream she’ll accomplish the impossible? You get Nasa Hataoka , a 26-year-old Japanese golfer who has turned that ambitious vision into reality. Born on January 13, 1999, in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, her parents deliberately named her after NASA because they wanted her to “accomplish something that has never been accomplished before.” That prophetic naming proved remarkably accurate when, at just 17 years old, she became both the youngest player and first amateur ever to win the Japan Women’s Open in 2016.

Standing at only 5 feet 2 inches, Hataoka has proven that physical stature means nothing when talent and determination collide. She currently ranks 44th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and has earn

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