The 24-year-old managed to overcome blustery conditions as she produced a bogey-free round to move up four places in the table as former leader Bailey Tardey slipped into joint third.

"I would say that from around the seventh hole I started to feel the wind, and of course we were at the waterfront, so it was quite different," said Hataoka.

"Then, of course, I had some of the par saves, and so compared to my last two days, I think that from the back nine onwards I did pretty well."

Hataoka is a six-time Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour winner and showed exactly why with a stellar performance.

After birdieing the first and sixth holes, she produced four more birdies on the back nine including on the 16th and 17th holes. 

There was no other player who managed to score lower than 70 in the penultimate round.

The United States' Allisen Corpuz shot 71 after a bogey on the final hole while Tardey and South Korea's Kim Hyo-joo go into the last round two shots back.

Hataoka came closest to victory at the California event in 2021 when she lost to the Philippines' Yuka Saso in a playoff.

"I still have this very last day to look forward to," Hataoka said.

"Although circumstances may be different, I think some of the elements are still the same as they were versus two years ago.

"In other words, I have to go on all of those 18 holes, discuss with my caddie and work out what's the best for me, and enjoy my day tomorrow."