Hannah Green in action this week in Malaysia – photo LPGA / Getty Images
West Australian Hannah Green is keeping the hopes of a West Australian threepeat alive when she enters the weekend at the LPGA Tour’s Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.
Green is just two shots off the lead after rounds of 64 and 70 and is in a share of 3rd place behind the leader, Thailand’s Jasmine Suwannapura.
Following the win two weeks ago in Macau by Minwoo Lee and last week’s victory in South Korea by his sister Minjee Lee, West Australian golfing stocks are at a high at present and could well be enhanced by Green winning this week.
Green appeared likely to challenge for the halfway lead today when she birdied the opening two holes of her back nine to move to 10 under but would then drop consecutive shots at the 10th and 12th.
Birdies at her 15th and 17th holes however have her knocking on the door of a possible 4th LPGA Tour title at an event and venue she is playing for the first time given the last time an event was played here was in 2017 and under a different name.
Green has had mixed fortunes in 2023 with one win and two other top tens but that aside there has not been a lot to get excited about although a good finish this week would improve her standing in the Race to the Globe considerably from her current 27th place.
LPGA Tour rookie Grace Kim is not without hopes of contending on Sunday either after rounds of 65 and 72 have her five shots off the lead and tied for 14th.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko is another two shots back in a share of 24th place.
