Australia’s Hannah Green makes history as first female winner of mixed event
Hannah Green rarely has golf dreams, but that changed Saturday night after she went to bed as one of four co-54-hole leaders of the PGA Tour Australasia’s TPC Murray River event.
“It was just me holding the trophy and people spraying me with champagne,” Green recalled, “and then I woke hoping it wasn’t just a dream.”
It was, though Green soon made it a reality.
The 25-year-old Aussie closed in 6-under 66 Sunday afternoon at Cobram Barooga Golf Club in Barooga, Australia, to beat male counterparts Andrew Evans and amateur Hayden Hopewell by four shots and become the first female to win a 72-hole mixed tournament on a world-ranked tour.
Green notched five birdies in Sunday’s final, but the highlight came at the par-5 10th hole, where she hit her second shot just shy of the green before chipping in for eagle and a three-shot lead.
With her victory, she earned 36,000 Australian dollars.
“I feel amazing,” said Green, who also won last week’s Women’s Vic Open, though has yet to play on the LPGA this season. “I’m just so grateful that I came. It actually wasn’t my plan to play; I was hoping to go back to Perth. Things happen for a reason, so I’m really glad that I made it. I wanted to win these two events as soon as I said that I’d enter them. I didn’t think it was a ridiculous goal to try and get my name on these trophies, so now that that’s done, hopefully I can continue this momentum.
“I want to be in the top 10 in the world. I think I can achieve it. If I keep playing the golf that I am now, hopefully I can get there.”
The only other 72-hole tournaments to be held at the highest levels, the 2019 Jordan Mixed Open and 2021 Scandinavian Mixed in Europe, were won by men, Daan Huizing and Jonathan Caldwell, respectively. So, Green was understandably excited to be the first.
“Hopefully, it’s inspiring for the rest of the girls – not only in the juniors but in the field – to try and get their name on a trophy,” Green said. “We need to get as much exposure as possible, and it’s great that we have events on in the summer when the peak of sport is on. Hopefully, this can get some traction and people will see it. Hopefully, each state can have these events. It’s not only good for the women’s game, but also the men, and having the juniors on the weekend is a great thing, too.
“I don’t think this will be the last time these events keep happening. I can easily see 20 on the schedule coming soon.”