WHILE it’s nonetheless early within the season on the LPGA Tour, Australia’s highest-ranked golfer Hannah Inexperienced has all however given up her dream of turning into the world’s No 1 participant. For this 12 months, anyway.
“Realistically, with Nelly (Korda) successful as many occasions as she did final 12 months, I don’t suppose I can obtain No 1 except I win the identical quantity of occasions,” she mentioned. “However I’d like to get to world No 2, or World No 3.”
That’s definitely not out of the query for Australia’s greatest carried out feminine golfer in recent times.
A two-time winner of the Greg Norman Medal, offered to Australia’s golfer of the 12 months, Inexperienced received 3 times on the LPGA Tour in 2024 – a feat equalled solely by Korda, Lydia Ko and China’s Ruoning ‘Ronnie’ Yin – and completed the 12 months ranked world No 6.
She made 16 cuts in 20 begins, with six prime 10 finishes in addition to her three wins – on the HSBC Ladies’s World Championship in Singapore, on the JM Eagle LA Championship and on the BMW Women Championship, incomes greater than $2 million in prize cash.
“It’s arduous to again up a profitable 12 months,” she mentioned. “Most gamers have objectives all year long and, , as a result of I did win these three tournaments, it’s arduous to then reset.”
Not that Inexperienced hasn’t begun the 12 months in type.
The winner of the HSBC Ladies’s World Championship in 2024, Hannah Inexperienced wasn’t capable of defend her title in early March, nonetheless she has set lofty objectives for the remainder of 2025.
She completed fourth within the Founders Cup at Florida in early February and, after a fortnight’s break at house in Perth, travelled to Singapore to defend her title because the HSBC Ladies’s World Champion at Sentosa golf course, ending a creditable seventh.
Like all the highest gamers, Inexperienced seeks to be at her peak for the season’s 5 main championships, which kick off with the Chevron Championship in Texas on the finish of April.
“Sadly I didn’t play a whole lot of weekends within the majors final 12 months,” she mentioned. “I put an excessive amount of strain on myself to carry out properly at these occasions.
“I’m hoping this 12 months can be a greater season in that sense. Yeah, simply acquired to make use of the boldness from the final couple years to enter these weeks.”
Inexperienced can be hoping to beat an unwelcome tendency to get off to gradual begins in some tournaments – although she does her greatest to place an upbeat spin on it.
“Typically whenever you’re within the lead the whole week, it’s a bit of bit extra mentally difficult in comparison with when you’ve got had a not-so-good first day,” she mentioned
“Luckily I did have some good outcomes after poor first rounds, however this can be a full totally different season, so who is aware of what it is likely to be like this 12 months?
“I’m hoping no less than, yeah, to get off to raised begins and simply be a bit of bit extra constant all through the week. Issues don’t at all times go the best way you need, and that’s simply what you need to mentally take into consideration on the market.”
Throughout her February break at house, Inexperienced spent a whole lot of time together with her coach, Ritchie Smith, who was not too long ago named Western Australia’s prime coach – of any sport.
“I’ve been working with him since I used to be most likely 12 or 13 years previous,” she mentioned. “We’ve had an extended relationship, and , he is aware of — I assume he could be very personable about how you can apply issues within the golf swing.
“Minjee Lee additionally works with him. Despite the fact that we is likely to be engaged on the identical factor in a way, it’s simply the best way that he delivers it to each of us that makes it simpler to grasp.
“It is likely to be utterly totally different, terminology, however he understands as a result of we’ve had such an extended relationship, what possibly clicks for me and what maybe clicks for different gamers.
“It’s simply good to have grown up with the identical coach and he can see how I’ve grown as a participant, and in addition, I assume, as an individual.
“Simply having somebody that I belief that even when issues aren’t going properly, he’ll inform me the swing is unhealthy. He received’t simply inform me issues are going properly.
“I need him to be trustworthy. I feel having that relationship either side, even me telling him, I don’t suppose that’s proper and vice versa, I feel that’s essential.”
