[PHOTO: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]
A clutch short-game display has propelled Australia’s Hannah Green to her third LPGA title of the year at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea by a single stroke.
After opening with consecutive rounds of eight-under 64, Green closed out the tournament with a one-under 71 to finish at 19-under and pip France’s Celine Boutier by the narrowest of margins and collect $US330,000.
Green’s wire-to-wire victory followed last year’s triumph by fellow West Australian Minjee Lee and the 27-year-old will now rise into the top five of the Rolex Rankings for women’s golf.
It was Green’s sixth LPGA title, after victories earlier this year in Singapore and Los Angeles. She joins Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko as three-time LPGA winners in 2024 and is the first Australian to achieve the feat since Karrie Webb in 2006.
However, Green endured a tough Sunday on the Seowon Valley layout near Seoul where firm greens, tucked pins and fickle winds were compounded by a tediously slow pace of play.
Twenty-year-old Thai Chanettee Wannasaen (68) applied pressure early when she went out in six-under 30, but was then unable to convert a handful of makeable birdie putts to finish two shots adrift.
Boutier sank five birdies in her last seven holes for a six-under 66 to be one stroke adrift, the same fate she suffered at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore when Green birdied the final three holes to win.
Green appeared as though she might unravel when she missed four of five greens to begin the back nine. A wayward tee shot on the par-5 11th hole found a diabolical lie and led to a bogey 6.
But Green held her nerve, particularly with an exquisite long bunker shot to save par on the par-3 14th. She dealt the decisive blow on the short, 309-metre, par-4 17th when she struck her approach to seven feet to seize the lead. An overzealous birdie putt at the 72nd hole forced her to hole a four-footer for the win.
“I probably didn’t have the best weekend but obviously played really well the first two days and today’s conditions were really tough, trying to pick the right clubs with the right wind direction that we were experiencing,” Green told Australian professional Ewan Porter at the trophy presentation.
As to the secret of taking her game to the next level, Green said, “I felt like I played really solid last year. When I was playing badly it was not obviously going well. My putter can be hot and cold just like any other player. Certainly this week it was really hot. So just trying to take advantage when things are going well.
“It’s difficult to win tournaments but I think having experienced it and having confidence on the right side of things, it makes it easier. But don’t get me wrong, I was still really nervous playing those last three holes.”
