Hannah Green walked away from Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast with a trophy in hand and a piece of Australian golf history in her name. The West Australian became the first player from her country to win three consecutive events on major international tours when she captured the Australian WPGA Championship on Sunday, adding her name to a list of achievements few thought possible.
The world number seven's four-stroke victory, at 16-under, came after a month of relentless touring and what Green herself described as a whirlwind schedule. She had won the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore three weeks earlier, followed by the Women's Australian Open in Adelaide just seven days before arriving on the Gold Coast. Now, in the space of four weeks, she had claimed three titles that rank among the most significant in international women's golf.
According to ABC News, Green's triumph means she has accomplished something neither Karrie Webb nor Greg Norman ever managed. Webb, the greatest Australian golfer of her generation, never won three consecutive major-tour events. Robert Allenby came closest with his 2005 Triple Crown, winning the Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship, and Australian Masters in successive weeks, but those events were all run by the PGA Tour of Australasia only. Green's hat-trick spans the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour, making it an achievement on a genuinely global stage.
Sunday's final round tested Green in ways the previous three days had not. She began two strokes clear and briefly stretched that advantage to six shots after just four holes. But successive bogeys trimmed the cushion to two. A birdie at the ninth hole and a dropped shot from her main challenger, Germany's Alexandra Forsterling, provided breathing room. When Forsterling birdied the last to finish at 12-under, the German had closed to within two strokes, but Green held firm.
Green said after her win: "It feels really amazing, it hasn't really sunk in and it's been a crazy month, four weeks since I won Singapore. But very special to do that in Australia." The 29-year-old acknowledged the pressure that comes with defending consecutive victories, particularly on home soil. "When I have won, I've usually flown under the radar, and it's hard to back up a win, especially the Aussie Open. It's such a big week."
South African Casandra Alexander recovered from an early stumble to tie for second with Forsterling, dropping three shots on the opening two holes before steadying herself. The $600,000 event, as reported by ABC News, was contested at Sanctuary Cove for just the second time since its inaugural staging in 2022. Last year's edition was cancelled due to the threat of a cyclone.
What makes Green's achievement even more remarkable is the context. She skipped two LPGA events to remain in the country and pursue this run. Her husband, fellow professional golfer Jarryd Felton, carried her bag for all three victories after stepping in as a last-minute replacement when her regular caddie was unavailable. The partnership has proven seamless, with Green showing the kind of form that suggests her dominance may yet continue.
Already world number seven, Green had never claimed a Ladies European Tour title before her Australian Open win last week. Now she has a second LET victory, and in doing so has become the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open since Karrie Webb claimed the prize in 2014. The WPGA Championship trophy, inscribed with Webb's name, will take a place of honour in Green's collection.