TURNING GREEN IN SENTOSA
Australia’s Hannah Green turned in a stellar weekend to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship
Aaustralia’s Hannah Green broke into yet another smile way before her lengthy putt at the 18th collapsed in the cup. The ball still had a twist and turn ahead, but the 27-year-old just knew she was on the point of winning Asia’s major or the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Having started the event with a lacklustre 74, she followed up with a trio of 67s to finish at 13-under par to Celine Boutier’s 12-under.
In January, the champagne had flowed at Green’s wedding to Jarryd Felton who is currently playing in the Webex Players Series, and it was flowing again as her Aussie friends soaked her from hat to toe.
Hannah Green
As it turned out, she was saving the best for last, making three birdies in a row from the 16th. ”I knew,” she said, “that I needed to at least birdie the last to win by one. So as soon as that putt went in, I was like, “Oh my God, I’ve won.”
It could so easily have been her second victory in the championship. Back in 2021, she was poised to win when she had three-putt greens at each of the 17th and 18th. It would have hurt even more had she not won the KPMG LPGA, a major, and the Cambia Portland Classic two years earlier.
Celine Boutier
Celine Boutier, who was two shots behind Ayaka Furue going into the final round, had been warming up on the putting green in the hope of a play- off when she heard the celebratory rumpus on the home green. “I was just trying to do something because I was kind of nervous and sitting around watching wasn’t really helping,” she said. Certainly, she was not overly worried about her putting when she had signed off by making a teasing 5-footer to stay in with a chance.
Even if it was not one more win for the French golfer, you doubt she will ever forget a week in which she presented her father with a second-round 64 on his birthday. Furue, on the other hand, had to be upset when she slipped from first to a share of eighth place.
Hannah Green
Green was not the first Australian to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Karrie Webb won in 2011, while it was in 2015 that
this winner of seven majors and 56 professional tournaments in all presented Hannah with a Karrie Webb scholarship. In accord with the rules of amateur status, the money that came with it was to cover her expenses in the amateur game.
Yet to Hannah, nothing meant more than getting to know Webb, the person and the golfer: “She would have me to stay and I would be able to watch her from behind the ropes and learn from everything she did.”
Hannah Green
Asked if, as a four-time LPGA winner, she had advice to offer others,
Hannah began by saying, “You just have to enjoy the sport. Even though I’ve now had four wins on the LPGA and won 11 worldwide, I’ve known many hard moments. You have to take the highs when they come because they don’t always come. Golf can be a learning sport.”
As much as anything, she treasured having so many Australian friends on tour. “It’s nice that we get to travel together and have dinner together.” Her point, here, was that they were friendly enough to be pleased for each other in the event of a win.
How obvious that was as Green collected her trophy.
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