Hannah’s rollercoaster ride in the final round stops just short of Australia’s first golf medal
GOLFER Hannah Green took her country on a wild rollercoaster ride in her quest to be Australia’s first-ever Olympic golfing medallist.
In the end it was all about the journey, not the destination. No medal, but what fun it was.
The West Australian looked out of the running when she turned for home yesterday, having dropped two strokes through nine holes to be well back from the leaders.
But the back nine which had served her so well over the previous three days again became her playground. “I felt like with nine holes to go I was nowhere near it, so when I made the putt on 10 it was really important for my confidence,” Green said. She then chained birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie to rocket herself back into contention, before play was paused on the 17th hole due to dangerous weather.
Green was left stranded five-anda-half metres from birdie, which would have taken her into a tie for third with Lydia Ko and Aditi Ashok.
She had an agonising 45 minutes to consider her putt and when she returned to the 17th green, rolled it mere inches to the right of the hole.
“It was probably the only putt today where I wasn’t really sure on the read,” Green said. “I even pulled my caddie in, which I don’t often do unless I’m confused. I felt like because I had such good momentum, the delay hurt me a little bit.”
Green went on to close out her day with a bogey on the 18th hole, consigning her to a fifth overall finish.
“It was hard to pump myself back up again (after the delay),” she said.
“I was on cloud nine after those five holes, so it was hard to go back, rest, then come back out again.”
For all the day’s drama it was Olympic champion elect, Nelly Korda, who claimed gold.
Green and fellow Aussie Minjee Lee, who finished 4-under and in a tie for 29th, fly out on Sunday night for the Scottish Open which begins on Thursday.