Driven to succeed at Australian Open
RISING Australian golfer Hannah Green says she is hoping to continue her recent run of good form when she tees off at Kooyonga Golf Club for next week’s women’s Australian Open.
Fresh from finishing in a tie for third at last week’s Vic Open — just a week after finishing in a tie for 11th at the Pure Silk Classic in the Bahamas — Green has flown home to Perth for a week’s rest ahead of a long year on the LPGA tour.
The 21-year-old said she would use the experience of playing in the final group at Thirteenth Beach last Sunday to her advantage at Kooyonga, where she will aim to become the first Aussie to claim the national open since Karrie Webb in 2014.
“I’m really excited and I went and played the course in early January, so that was my first time seeing it,” Green said.
“I’m really excited about the event and it’s probably one of the best courses in Adelaide. I had no goals or expectations but maybe I might have to reassess after the past two weeks.
“That was my first time playing in the last group and I’ve never really been close to playing in the last group, so to have a crowd like that was really cool
“It’s a bit different not having them roped off but I think that makes a big difference to people wanting to come out.”
Green was locked in a battle with eventual winner Minjee Lee and close friend Karis Davidson at the Vic Open but, given the head start she gave to Lee, her chances of a final day upset were always slim.
But the West Australian is confident she is hitting the ball well enough to be in contention again in Adelaide.
“I thought I played really well on (the) Sunday, and I’m really happy with the week,” she said.
“Minjee had a good lead on me at the start of the day and, while we’re both pretty good ball strikers, the putting is probably the thing that lets us down.
“She has been working really hard so I knew she wasn’t going to back off.
“But I tied for seventh last year in my first Aussie Open as a professional and I don’t want to push too hard, but I definitely want to get in the top 10, and with how I’ve been playing it’s not out of reach.”