THE MODERATOR: Pleased to be joined by Hannah Green ahead of the 2026 JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. Just already off to a pretty hot start this year. Three wins already. Just talk about the world wind the past couple months and just all the winning you've been doing.
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, it definitely has been a whirlwind. I didn't really think that I would have like that much success so early this to the season. I feel like sometimes it takes me a little bit to warm up.
But I had a really good result in Thailand. Had a top 10 there. Then Singapore is a place that I've performed well there and also hoisted a trophy, so that was really nice. I felt like I was really nervous the entire time during those last nine holes because it had been a while since I was in contention.
Then coming to Australia, winning the Australian Open and the WPGA, that was just a nice hat trick to have so early.
I was saying to the media back then, I felt like having 12 years not having an Australian win that event, even though it was my name on the trophy, I feel all of us have the monkey lifted off the back and next year it will kind of be probably less pressure for all of us to get that trophy.
Nice to have this form coming into JM Eagle and obviously we have our first major of the year next week, so hopefully I can use that momentum to get myself in contention for those two events.
Q. Speaking of form a little bit, what so you think are the major contributing factors to the wins? Putting? Ball striking? Maybe a mixed bag of everything?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, been putting really solid. Changed putters probably October last year. Put it in play right before we went to Asia and I felt like that's been a big difference. Perhaps last year my ball striking wasn't as good as it has been in the past.
Definitely those three wins the putter was very hot, but I was also able to hit a lot of greens in regulation, hit a lot of fairways, and try and make golf as boring as possible. That's going to be important here this week at El Cab.
The greens are pretty tricky, so making sure you're aggressive with certain pin locations and then also perhaps taking the 20-footer up the hill instead of maybe a 10-footer down the hill.
I am hoping that I can putt well because I think I that will be the difference to the person who wins this week.
Q. Speaking of El Cab, you've found a lot of success at this golf course already. Speak to does it set up well for you? Something with your eye? Or is it just when you come here you happen to play well?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, I did something earlier today and I just said I really like to play California. You know, taxes here. I obviously really enjoy playing here in LA. I don't know if it's the weather. Just feels a bit more like home. No matter the venue I feel quite confident out here. I think the golf course really suits me. Some of the fairways are a bit more generous than perhaps we usually play. I'm probably not the most consistent with fairways hit, so feeling a bit confident with the driver definitely helps with the rest of my game.
My host dad from Wilshire, Tom, will come out and watch me. He's kind of been my good luck charm. He'll be out, so I'm excited to see him. Yeah, I just feel like the crowds are really welcoming to me being an Australian.
Q. Has Tom been out for both the wins?
HANNAH GREEN: Yes, I used to stay with him when we played at Wilshire and he lived right around the corner, so it was really nice to have him, and his wife Carrie, was able to celebrate with him. You can hear him loud and clear that's for sure.
Q. Coming into this week with your three wins so far and a major coming into next week, you said how you love playing in California. Is your preparation any different knowing that you've had such good success out here and knowing that you're also preparing for a major next week?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, I feel like I was still kind of on Cloud 9 before we played or tournament in Vegas and it was quite hard for me to bring myself back down to earth. I think I probably put more pressure on myself to continue the success I had.
I didn't make the weekend. Last week I was in Fort Worth, Texas, at my home club and didn't feel like I had to practice too much. I feel like that's what I done pre-season, is work on little things. Probably have my tendencies my whole career, but it's been easy to manage my swing.
In the past I've been able to swing it different every single day. That's sometimes a talent and also quite difficult. Coming into this week, I got here Sunday night. I played nine holes every day. Kind of what I would do if I have a week off prior.
But I think next week, major championships I put more pressure on myself. I probably try and over-prepare too much and should keep it a bit more simple. I will try and do that next week.
It's good for me to have a fresh golf course. Probably associated myself with that major championship in a negative way. Obviously you can see that when I like the golf course I can perform well and obviously had back-to-back wins on multiple venues. Hoping I can bring some more positive vibes into that week.
Q. You've played nine holes every day since you've been here. Compare last year to this year. Last year, new venue for everybody. You got all the rounds under the belt. Is the course setting up any different this year? Are you attacking it any differently this year now that you have a year under your belt here?
HANNAH GREEN: Well, the greens were firmer probably on Monday than they were this morning. I played in the morning. But I feel like the fairways are maybe a little bit softer so it's making it a little bit longer than what we've played.
I feel like the forecast is looking really good for us. I feel like sometimes the LPGA doesn't bring the best weather that city has to offer. It looks like really calm conditions, so a lot of birdies.
Like I said before sometimes having the 20-footer uphill is better than the 10-foot downhill putt. Just making sure that if perhaps you can't be aggressive, just leaving yourself the best opportunity to make a birdie.
There will be a ton of them, but making sure you keep the bogeys off the scorecard will be important. Definitely some gettable holes, and some holes where if it you make a par you're probably gaining on the field.
Hopefully, yeah, I can have everything kind of link up and match up for this week because it's definitely an event that I want to perform well in.
Q. Speaking of that, last year at media day, when we were talking about this tournament as the first outdoor sporting event in Los Angeles after the fires you announced that you were donating for every birdie and eagle. Ended up being $10,500. Tell us why you decided to make that announcement and why you decided to do that here at this event to donate to this cause?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, being in Australia I feel like we're very used to having bush fires. I have been very fortunate that it hasn't personally affected me, but I know how much it can make an impact to people.
So even though they happened in January I felt like coming here in April it was kind of not really a talking point, even though people were still suffering. I felt like using my platform. The LPGA and the golf tournament was a way to remind people that people are still struggling out there, and it gave me a little bit more extra motivation to make those birdies.
It was really nice to actually come here, do the media day, meet the people that were protecting Californians. I feel like, yeah, I'm very privileged to have this be in that position to be able to do the donation.
Yeah, I hope inspired more people to also generously donate. Happy and proud that I did that last year.
Q. With this year, with Walter and Shirley Wang continuing LA fire rebuild, for you guys as players what does it mean to know that you're playing for a tournament that means a whole lot more than just birdies and pars and trying to make a paycheck at the end of the day?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, absolutely. I feel like we are so blessed to be able to go around the world and make an impact in the sporting world and also other people that perhaps don't play golf.
Walter and Shirley Wang are so generous and give back so close to home. Seeing them inspires us players to perhaps, yeah, do something like a generous donation or perhaps talk to people and see if they're all right, things like that. Whether it's -- it doesn't always necessarily have to be cash. Sometimes can be just simply saying hello or having a conversations to have an impact with them.
Yeah, they're very inspiring people and very lucky to have them.
Q. You mentioned you didn't win last night but you were at the pro-am party last night, which is one of the more unique one on the LPGA Tour. You can see how Walter and Shirley Wang love that pro-am party with over 100 of your fellow players there. Talk about that experience. You guys are in pro-am parties week in week out. Talk about that experience last night and what Walter and Shirley Wang are doing for you guys?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, well, first of all we also have a hotel this week for free. So they realized that even though yes we're on the golf course trying to make money, getting ourselves here is just as expensive. We're staying not far from here in a hotel for free for the week.
We do have some incentives when we were at the pro-am party. They have generously donated some vouchers and perhaps I wasn't as successful as some of the other girls but I still walked out with something apparently, so that was really nice. I'm excited to see that.
But I was talking to Ryann O'Toole this morning on the range. It's one of the best pro-am parties. If every week was like that you would actually want to be there. The food is always great. Live music last night was really good. They always do a really good job. If it was like that every week you would see a lot more players.
Q. When you first walked to the driving range there is a he champion's walk where you see your name there, Annika Sorenstam, Seri Pak. What does it mean to be a two-time champion along with those big names that have won here at El Cab?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, no, it feels very special to have my face and name there. Yeah, very prestigious golf course. I would love to have that trophy in my hands again. I've been very fortunate to have two sitting at home. I can see and make a place for the third.
So I hope to perform well this week. Really looking forward to it. I hope we have a lot of the people come out and watch because it's such a great field and all of the best players are here.
Q. With the start you've had to the year, would you say this is the best golf you've played in your career?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, I feel like I have to say yes to that. I feel like a lot of wins I had on tour I haven't performed that well the weekend before. So I feel like coming in this having a top 10 in Thailand and continuing that form has been really, really nice.
2024 was a great season. Had three wins that year, but a little bit more spread out. Again, it's kind of, yeah, a weird feeling. Obviously I'm very confident and I had the performances that I won, but we still have such a long season ahead. Last year was probably one of my most inconsistent years throughout the season, so I want it use this confidence as much as I can and also make sure that I'm not too -- I guess changing my goals too much and putting too much pressure on myself to continue this form.
Sometimes you can play your best golf and you don't turn out to be the winner at the end of the week. It's a unique sport in that sense.
Q. How do you manage expectations when that's the case and you already had such a great start to the year? What are you telling yourself mentally when you don't go out and win again?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, just making sure that every time that I am out there I'm 100% confident in what I'm choosing today. Even though I didn't play on the weekend in Vegas I didn't play as bad as the scorecard showed.
I felt like I hit a lot of great shots that perhaps just wasn't the correct club or wasn't to the correct side of the green. So I think just making sure that I'm not too hard on myself when I am not having a trophy in my hands.
I'm sure Nelly probably experienced it when she had the seven wins in a row. It's hard to bring yourself back down to earth.
At the end of the day you are trying to win. The likelihood of that happen something still very low. Yeah, just, again, always put pressure on myself in these major championships. Those are going to be the ones that are tougher this year because I will expect more from myself.
Yeah, just making sure I'm clear with what I want to achieve and how to do that when I'm on the course is what I'm going to try and do.
Q. You mentioned preparing obviously this week with a big major coming next week. Sometimes you overdo it a little bit. What does an over-prepared Hannah look like and how do you scale that back?
HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say that I'm a person that's out here from nine until five grinding every day. I kind of probably in my later part of my career than most people. I feel like I kind of listen to my body a bit more.
I think more so internally I put more pressure on myself. I expect myself to be in contention and I want to be in contention, so I think it's more perhaps rocking up to an event too early, playing on a Sunday, things like that.
I haven't actually seen the venue next week in Houston. My caddie Dave worked the Houston Open so he's familiar with the course. I'm unsure whether I will play nine holes or Monday or whether I should just have a really good, solid day of practice.
But, yeah, in years past I've kind of practiced harder than I would or longer than I should sometimes and I felt like I put the hard work in and I deserve to be playing better.
Sometimes that just doesn't work out that way. Golf can be funny like that. Hoping next week I can just take it a bit more relaxed and just treat it like any other event on Tour.
Q. What has Dave told you about the course so far or have you got gotten into that yet?
HANNAH GREEN: Haven't quite got into it yet. I did ask Min Woo as he won there last year. He jokingly said the reason he won is the fairways are generous and he's known for hitting it very far but perhaps not as accurate as other players.
He said it's a really good course. My coach has been also out there to see it. He said I think it will being really good for us women to be there.
I think that will be kind of nice. Even though Carlton Woods was a good venue, I didn't perform well the last three years. I think a fresh course will probably do me well. Looking forward to it.
I hope being closer to Houston we'll have more spectators come out and watch. Going to be a really good week.
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