Hannah Green is Australia’s newest major champion after winning Women’s PGA Championship

June 24, 2019

Australia has a new women’s golf major champion for the first time in 17 years after Hannah Green won her first major (and LPGA tournament) this morning.

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Green took out the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship by a single stroke from Korea’s Sung Hyun Park who put some pressure on with a 4-under par final round including a birdie at the last.

After securing a two-stroke lead with a superb downhill putt birdie at the difficult par-4 16th hole, Park’s final hole birdie meant that Green would require a par to claim victory.

Finding the greenside bunker with her approach to the par-4 closing hole, Green played a great shot from the sand to set herself up with a tricky four-foot putt to win.

And with the composure usually exhibited by previous major champions, or LPGA winners at the very least, Green drained the putt for par to become the first Australian women’s major champion since Karrie Webb claimed the Women’s British Open in 2002.

An unforgettable moment 🏆@hannahgreengolf gets up and down from the sand to complete her wire-to-wire win of the @KPMGWomensPGA! pic.twitter.com/ob51nBwgEm

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 23, 2019

“I’m pretty much speechless. I was really nervous the last five holes and just really,” Green said. “I made a clutch putt and that was kind of got me through another one. To make the one on the last is really is surreal.”

Webb who has been a mentor and role model for many young Australian golfers was one of the first people to come on to the 18th green to congratulate Green with a shower of beer after sinking the winning putt.

“Just watching the video of them coming and pour beer all over me just really makes me tear up and makes me so happy to, I guess, have them here this week,” Green said. “I think they really made a big difference to me winning and yeah, they just kept me really cool. Can you come every week?”

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Prior to the start of the final round, most golf pundits from Australia were surprised the inexperienced Hannah Green was still leading the tournament and assumed two-time major champ Ariyu Jutanugarn, just one-stroke behind would prevail.

But no such thing happened. If anything it was Green who appeared the most composed as Jutanugarn slipped down the leaderboard, eventually finishing with a 5-over par 77.