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Hannah Green looks do something no Aussie has done in more than a decade: win the Australian Open.
The seven-time LPGA winner rebounded from a double-bogey on the seventh hole to play her last 11 holes in 5 under at Kooyonga Golf Club. Green trails France's Celine Herbin by one shot heading into the weekend. Herbin, 43, leads the field at 6 under.
Green is one of three Australian major winners in the field and sits knotted at 5 under with compatriot Kirsten Rudgeley and another Frenchwoman, Agathe Laisne. Australia's Kelsey Bennett and Stephanie Bunque trail by two.
"Thought it was going to be a good day after I birdied the second, made a nice up and down from the bunker and then just hit a, I guess, unfortunate shot on the seventh hole into the green and kind of got myself stuck into the bunker and kept it in there. So it was kind of frustrating," said Green, who won two weeks on the LPGA in Singapore with husband Jarryd Felton on the bag.
"But yeah, was able to at least make a birdie on nine, which I knew was a gettable par five and kind of calm myself down. I probably am putting a lot more pressure on myself than I'm used to."
Felton, a touring pro himself, took a break from his own tour schedule to caddie for his wife after her regular looper, David Buhai, had to stay in the U.S. while applying for a green card. Buhai is married to LPGA pro Ashleigh Buhai, who won the Australian Open in 2022 and 2023.
Three-time major winner Minjee Lee shot 72-71 and trails by five. A total of 67 players made the cut in the LET-sanctioned event.
The legendary Karrie Webb, 51, won the Australian Open five times from the span of 2000 to 2014 and was the last Aussie to hoist the trophy.
“When I won a few events in Australia, I guess that eased the pressure a little bit and then I started to really embrace having the home crowd advantage and really enjoyed playing in front of the Australian fans,” Webb told Golf Australia.
“I didn’t see it as much of a pressure or a burden as I did when I first was trying to win and show the Australian public some of the golf that I’d been playing overseas. Once that sort of pressure had been lifted, I really embraced coming home to play."
Green praised the fans in Adelaide early week and noted that in 2020, when the event was last played there, they enjoyed some of the best crowds to date.
"I think I'll definitely need to rely on them come this weekend," said Green. "because it's going to be hard to kind of try and close out this tournament. But so far I've put myself in a good position."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Hannah Green leads 2026 Australian Open through 36 holes
Continue reading...
The seven-time LPGA winner rebounded from a double-bogey on the seventh hole to play her last 11 holes in 5 under at Kooyonga Golf Club. Green trails France's Celine Herbin by one shot heading into the weekend. Herbin, 43, leads the field at 6 under.
Green is one of three Australian major winners in the field and sits knotted at 5 under with compatriot Kirsten Rudgeley and another Frenchwoman, Agathe Laisne. Australia's Kelsey Bennett and Stephanie Bunque trail by two.
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"Thought it was going to be a good day after I birdied the second, made a nice up and down from the bunker and then just hit a, I guess, unfortunate shot on the seventh hole into the green and kind of got myself stuck into the bunker and kept it in there. So it was kind of frustrating," said Green, who won two weeks on the LPGA in Singapore with husband Jarryd Felton on the bag.
"But yeah, was able to at least make a birdie on nine, which I knew was a gettable par five and kind of calm myself down. I probably am putting a lot more pressure on myself than I'm used to."
Felton, a touring pro himself, took a break from his own tour schedule to caddie for his wife after her regular looper, David Buhai, had to stay in the U.S. while applying for a green card. Buhai is married to LPGA pro Ashleigh Buhai, who won the Australian Open in 2022 and 2023.
Three-time major winner Minjee Lee shot 72-71 and trails by five. A total of 67 players made the cut in the LET-sanctioned event.
You must be registered for see images attach
The legendary Karrie Webb, 51, won the Australian Open five times from the span of 2000 to 2014 and was the last Aussie to hoist the trophy.
“When I won a few events in Australia, I guess that eased the pressure a little bit and then I started to really embrace having the home crowd advantage and really enjoyed playing in front of the Australian fans,” Webb told Golf Australia.
“I didn’t see it as much of a pressure or a burden as I did when I first was trying to win and show the Australian public some of the golf that I’d been playing overseas. Once that sort of pressure had been lifted, I really embraced coming home to play."
Green praised the fans in Adelaide early week and noted that in 2020, when the event was last played there, they enjoyed some of the best crowds to date.
"I think I'll definitely need to rely on them come this weekend," said Green. "because it's going to be hard to kind of try and close out this tournament. But so far I've put myself in a good position."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Hannah Green leads 2026 Australian Open through 36 holes
Continue reading...
