Hannah Green produced a 5-under 66 on Sunday at the Wilshire Country Club and etched her name into the history books by successfully defending her title at the JM Eagle L.A. Championship.
The 27-year-old Aussie clinched her fifth career LPGA title with a four-day total of 12-under 272, three clear of Sweden’s Maja Stark (68).
“It’s really kind to me,” Green said when asked about her success at Wilshire. “I felt like a couple times today almost got like a member bounce.
“I obviously really am fond of the golf club and joked that they didn’t approve it with me that they were making alterations.” She added later, “It does feel somewhat like home in a sense that I have so many people that come and watch me. There are a lot Aussies come as well and cheer me on.”
Green began the day with a share of the lead, teeing off alongside fellow Aussie Grace Kim, the leader after the first three rounds. Green, though, took the outright lead with a birdie on the opening hole, and never looked back. A bogey on No. 4 followed by five straight pars sent her out in level par (35). She added two more pars on Nos. 10 and 11.
Then came No. 12 – the start of a five-hole scoring binge.
“Yeah, the chip-in, I think that was the big momentum,” said Green of her 12th-hole hole-out birdie. “I felt like Grace and I weren’t really holing any putts. Not that I was really giving myself many opportunities to make birdie on the front nine, but I felt like that wasn’t always the scorable nine.
“It was always the back nine. Yeah, I didn’t hit a great shot. I think I got really lucky to even be in that position and not be in the bunker, because I don’t think I would’ve made up and down had it been in the bunker. Would’ve been quite a tough short-sided shot. Yeah, when that went in it definitely switched the momentum.”
Green chased the chip-in birdie with an eagle and two more birdies in a four-hole span (Nos. 13-16) to secure the victory. Her 10-foot eagle putt from the fringe on 15 was what “really sealed the deal.”
The Aussie closed out the day with pars on 17 and 18 to earn her second win of the 2024 season.
Stark, meanwhile, claimed solo second on 9 under. It marked the second straight runner-up finish for the 24-year-old Swede.
Finishing third, and three further back, was Korea’s Haeran Ryu (69).
JM Eagle L.A. Championship
Top-5 Finishers
Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Hannah Green -12 (-5)
2. Maja Stark -9 (-3)
3. Haeran Ryu -6 (-2)
4. Jin Young Ko -5 (-4)
4. Jin Hee Im -5 (+1)
LPGA Tour email press releases were used to compile report.
