Hannah Green holds second place at LA Open
Hannah Green – photo Michael Owens – Getty Images
Australia’s Hannah Green is in outright second and four shots from the leader, Nasa Hataoka, as the Dio Implant LA Open enters tomorrow’s final round.
Green improved one spot from her overnight 3rd with a round of 69 on the Wilshire Country Club in her 6th LPGA Tour start of the season, her best finish to date being when 8th at the HSBC event in Singapore.
“I think my putting has kind of been the thing I’ve been working on,” said Green when asked what aspects of the game she had been putting most emphasis on. “I feel like I hit the ball good in Hawaii, I just didn’t necessarily putt very well, so it kind of made everything feel a little bit tougher.
“So I actually took Monday off this week. I was pretty tired from just playing in the wind and traveling, also, from Hawai’i. Just came out and did some putting and some short game, just trying to get as much confidence as possible.
Green is chasing a third LPGA Tour title and after a good start to the year when playing mixed gender events in Australia she appears to be building towards just that.
Green acknowledged the fact that the Wilshire layout does not require power but rather finesse. “I think that’s been the difference this week is having slightly shorter clubs in, but you don’t have to hit driver everywhere here. I don’t think it makes much of an advantage for those longer hitters, I think just those that are accurate and have a good putting game.”
“I feel like I haven’t played my entire best, so I’m hoping tomorrow I can kind of get everything to go my way and try and put as much pressure on Nasa as possible.”
Hataoka is chasing her 6th LPGA Tour title and has a nice cushion heading into the final round and she is a little surprised about being in the lead.
“Yes, to be honest, I didn’t expect this position at the beginning of this week,” said the Japanese star. “But like I said before, something clicked inside me during yesterday’s round so I’ll try to keep that momentum going forward for tomorrow’s round.”
Green’s fellow West Australian, Minjee Lee, is the only other Australian in the weekend field and is three shots behind Green and seven shots from the lead.
