By Neal Maidment
Hannah Green says she’s heading into Major championship season in high spirits after enjoying a four-week break back in Perth.
The three-time LPGA Tour winner took a hiatus from the US circuit to fine-tune her game and rest up ahead of the gruelling summer schedule that includes four Majors between late June and mid-August.
Green, aged 26, returned to the LPGA winner’s circle in May at the JM Eagle LA Championship – her first title on the tour since the Portland Classic in September 2019.
And despite having won twice in Australia in 2022 – including at the mixed-field TPS Murray River last February – tasting success on the LPGA Tour once more was another significant milestone in Green’s career.
“I felt like I had a really good year on the LPGA Tour last year, but I didn’t ever quite get myself close enough to winning a trophy,” she told GolfWA.
“It was great to win the Australian events but on the LPGA there are bigger fields and bigger names playing, so it hit me a little bit differently. You practice to win trophies, not to finish top 10, so the emotion came out.”
More than just reaffirming her self-belief, Green’s win also appeared to have a positive impact on other Aussies on the LPGA Tour.
Firstly, Green teamed up with Minjee Lee, Sarah Kemp and Steph Kyriacou to lead Australia to the final of the International Crown match play championship before Lee just missed out on a ninth LPGA title in a playoff at the Cognizant Founders Cup a week later.
Green admits that the close-knit Australian contingent does spur one another other on and provide an extra incentive to perform at the highest level.
“I do think we feed off each other’s successes,” she said. “You always want an Australian to do well but you also want to be that Australian who’s up there.
“Seeing Grace Kim winning in Hawaii [at the LPGA Tour’s LOTTE Championship] a few weeks earlier had a big impact. I was so proud of her because the win came so early in her career, but it made me want to win a trophy even more.”
Australian Grace Kim’s win on the LPGA Tour in April inspired Hannah Green to play her best golf
After ticking off that goal, Green is now focused on the meat of the LPGA Tour season. Her trip back to Perth saw her reunite with coach Ritchie Smith and golf swing mechanics expert Ryan Lumsden of Q Golf, and she heads back stateside believing her game is right where it needs to be.
“After winning in LA, I was really tired and then after the International Crown, I got really sloppy, missed a cut and decided to come home to Perth earlier than planned,” Green explained.
“Having spent time with Ritchie and Ryan, I feel like I’m in a much better place. I definitely want to continue winning and I’m really excited about the next stretch of events, including the four Majors.
“I want to say that I could win a couple more events before I next come home but with the level of golf on tour, it’s so hard to win. If that doesn’t happen, hopefully I’ll just be playing good golf.”
Green’s next event on the LPGA Tour is the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michegan from June 15-18. The first of the four upcoming Majors is the Women’s PGA Championship, which takes place at Baltusrol, New Jersey, from June 22-25. Green won the championship in 2019.
You can follow Hannah’s progress on tour, as well as the fortunes of other WA pros on global tours, here.
Photo credits: LPGA/Getty Images
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