Hannah Green is embracing expectation but not putting pressure on herself at the first major of 2025

News.com.au

22-04-2025

Six years after her major breakthrough world No.5 Hannah Green is trying to avoid putting pressure on herself about winning a second having ridden the rollercoaster, from afar, as Rory McIlroy got a monkey off his back by winning the Masters.
Green is one of seven Australians in pursuit of their share of the $12m prizemoney at the first women's major of 2025, The Chevron Championship in Houston, Texas, and carries a significant weight of expectation.
A three-time LPGA tour winner in 2024 and the reigning Greg Norman medallist, Green, now 28, hasn't added to the PGA title she won in 2019, aged 22, and conceded she hasn't been able to get in done in the majors much since then.
But as a two-time Olympian, and one of the most consistent week-to-week performers, Green is keen to find her best stuff when it matters most.
'It's probably the last three or four years I haven't really been able to do that,' Green said from the US on Tuesday.
'So when I look at it, just not completely through stats, I feel like I never get off to a good start in the tournament (at the majors) so I'm hoping that round one, if I am not having my best performance, I can kind of still keep myself into at least the weekend.
'But I know sometimes I feel like I put too much pressure on myself.
'Obviously, I'm coming into this major with probably one of the best rankings I've ever had, and probably more expectation from other people as well as myself.
'So I just want to make sure that I'm not putting too much pressure on myself.'
But while Green doesn't want to put pressure on herself, she also said 'nerves are good', and having watched McIlroy recover from a shocking final hole in regulation to win in a playoff at Augusta took a solid lesson for her own game.
'It almost looked like he pulled off the harder shots and the easier shots he had he didn't,' she said.
'It goes to show how many tournaments you have won in your career you can get nervous.
'Hopefully I can experience those nerves one day, and hit good shots.'
Green enters The Chevron coming off a top-10 finish at the LA Championship last weekend, an event she has won for the past two years and wants to take that momentum to Texas and the Carlton Woods Country Club.
She has missed the cut at The Chevron for the past two years and knows what's needed to not suffer the same fate this week.
'I'm hoping I can get off to a better start, kind of wipe the slate, the bad memories that I perhaps have at this championship,' Green said.
'A new venue here in Houston and start fresh and have a good championship.'
Green is joined in Houston by two-time major winner Minjee Lee, Steph Kyriacou, Gabriela Ruffels, Grace Kim, Hira Naveed and rising Sydney star Cassie Porter, on her major champion debut.
The Chevron Championship
The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, Texas
2024 champion: Nelly Korda
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2000, 2006)
Prize money: $12m