Hannah Green wanted to go out on Wednesday and be happy with her round. She did precisely that posting an opening round 6-under-par, 66, at Ko Olina Golf Club to sit three back of leader Nelly Korda.

She said she enjoyed her round at the LOTTE Championship and playing well certainly helped, but having playing partners Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong made the difference. Playing with friends and being able to joke around on the course helps keep the atmosphere light during the round.

“I'm very happy. I felt like my game was trending pretty well coming into this event,” said Green. “My last event, ANA, I had just a lot of bad breaks, so it was nice to finally see some putts go in and then also a couple of lucky bounces.”

The second-year member from Australia said she struggled with Tour life during her rookie season, including playing on new courses, staying in new hotels and grinding each week to prepare her game for tournament golf.

She said she has tried to stay patient each week, but admits that’s easier said than done.

Last year was Green’s first trip to Hawaii, and she came into the event with a great deal of confidence having had an excellent start to her rookie season with three top-16 finishes in five starts.

In retrospect, now in year two, Green admits she lacked consistency in Hawaii last year, but feels this year even though she wasn’t hitting the ball well she managed to keep the ball in position when hitting a poor shot in round one.

In 2018, the Aussie said she struggled to control her ball flight in the wind. She has spent the last few weeks leading up to the LOTTE Championship working on her ball control a bit more.

“I remember last year I felt like the wind was a lot stronger in the morning round compared to what we had today. It was a little bit frustrating with the rain on and off, but, I mean, it wasn't too hard, so it was fine to deal with,” Green said of last year’s weather. “I think it's just nice to come back to a course you've played before whether you had a good or bad result.

“I think you just got to be really consistent, and if you get it close, hopefully, capitalize on making a putt and making a birdie,” said Green.

Because there wasn’t much wind in the early round, it was important for players to take advantage and shoot low scores to put themselves in position on the leaderboard. Green held steady in round one and was happy she remained consistent giving herself opportunities to make birdie.

She hopes to build upon that positive momentum as she confidently heads into round two.

Hannah Green, Happy and Confident

Related Articles