Australia's Hannah Green
USGA photo
Diligent practice sessions in Perth's heat over the
past two weeks paid off for Hannah Green with a
brilliant start to the Australian Amateur
Championships.
Green fired a three-under 70 at Kingswood to sit
tied for second place, three shots behind runaway
South Korean Hyun-Kyung Park after the opening
qualifying round.
"It was a solid start. I've been working hard at
home even though it has been hot, hitting balls at
Mount Lawley and (nearby) Melville where my
coach is,'' she said.
Green, a Golf Australia national squad member,
collected three consecutive birdies on the front
nine to jump up the leaderboard. She picked up
another shot at the short 15th before failing to
get up and down from a greenside bunker at the
17th for the only blemish of a fine start to the
championships.
And the 19-year-old, who won the Victorian
amateur title at Commonwealth in mid-December,
gives the impression she won't be fazed by the
predicted heatwave in her second round at
Metropolitan tomorrow.
Green was runner-up to Lydia Ko in the New
Zealand Open last year and she's looking to again
test herself among the professional ranks "if I can
get a start" at next month's Victorian Open at
Thirteenth Beach, the Women's Australian Open in
Adelaide and the Ladies Masters at Royal Pines.
Park set a scorching pace to lead the women's
field in the morning groups around the pristine
Kingswood layout that's part of the Peninsula-
Kingwood Golf Club.
She eagled the par-five 11th and added birdies at
the third, fourth, seventh, ninth and 13th, giving
back one shot with a bogey at the par-three sixth
to sign for a six-under 67.
Late in the afternoon at Metropolitan, Japan's
Yumi Matsubara matched Green's 70, while her
countrywoman Minami Katsu, the world No.51,
shot a 71 to join Queenslander Karis Davidson in
a six-way share of fourth.
New Zealand's Ayean Cho was closing on the
leader after five birdies in six holes from the ninth
to the 14th before a double bogey at the 16th
dropped her back into that pack.
ABOUT THE Australian Women's Amateur
The Australian Men's and Women's Amateur
Championships are Australia's
oldest Amateur Golf Championships, with both having
been played since 1894.
Long held as a match play event, in 2021 the format
changed to 72 holes of
stroke play.
View Complete Tournament Information