Hannh Green makes her presence felt in Adelaide
Hannah Green and husband Jarrod Felton sharing a lighter moment today – image WAPGA
The Women’s Australian Open is at the halfway stage at the Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide, and while Frenchwoman Celine Herbin leads the field at 6 under, the weekend shapes as a likely shootout between two of Australia’s finest golfers in the history of women’s golf in this country, Hannah Green and Minjee Lee.
Green is just one behind after her second round of 69, and while Lee is another four shots further back, there is every reason to believe the cream will rise to the top over the final 36 holes, allowing a promoter’s dream for Sunday’s final round.
Herbin is a 43-year-old who has only one win to her name at this level, winning a Ladies European Tour event in 2019, and ranked 343rd in the world, she faces a huge task over the weekend if she is to hold off not only Green and Lee but several other players who boast greater credentials at this level.
After an opening nine of even par 35, Herbin unleashed with a run of five birdies in her closing nine, and even a double bogey at her 17th hole could not stop her from taking the outright lead with a birdie at the last.
Green, who arrived in Adelaide off the back of a win in an LPGA Tour event in Singapore two weeks ago, stumbled with a double bogey at her 7th hole today, but birdied five of her last ten holes for a round of 69 to be just one off the pace and looks very threatening.
Lee took a while to get her round moving in the right direction, but two late birdies were just the finish she needed to put herself into the picture for the weekend, and the world number four might well move into contention before Sunday’s final round.
The cut fell at 5 over par, with 67 golfers making it through to the weekend.
