Portland is Hannah Green’s happy place and the West Australian will attempt to harness that energy for a second Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour this week.
Green is one of six Aussies teeing it up at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, the venue where she was victorious in her breakout 2019 season.
But it is more than the golf course for Green.
There are her frequent visits to the Proud Mary Café, a café that has its origins in Melbourne and which claims to meld good food with great coffee.
And then there is what comes next.
At the completion of the Portland Classic Green will jump on a plane headed for her hometown of Perth.
Green shared her excitement at this week’s tournament and what will follow after the 26-year-old finished tied for fourth at last week’s CPKC Women’s Open in Canada.
“Very excited, because even after Portland I’m going to Perth so very, very excited,” Green revealed.
“I’ll be at Proud Mary most days I would say.”
Her positive demeanour has contributed to Green’s performances in Portland.
Following her win in 2019 she was tied for 12th in 2020 and last year was tied for third, just two shots back of champion Andrea Lee.
With 10 events left on the 2023 LPGA schedule, Green is 26th on the Race to CME Globe standings thanks largely to her victory at the LA Championship.
Lotte Championship winner Grace Kim is the highest-ranked Australian at No.24 in the season-long points race and this week represents a great opportunity for the likes of Sarah Kemp and Stephanie Kyriacou.
With two top-10s this year Kemp is on track to record a career-highest finish at season’s end while Kyriacou – at No.57 – is solidifying her place as an LPGA regular on the verge of a maiden win.
With no PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour events this week it is a relatively quiet week for our Aussie contingent.
Jason Scrivener and Blake Windred join Kiwi Daniel Hillier at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, there are five Aussies playing the Fuji Sankei Classic on the Japan Golf Tour and the Aussie trio of Jason Hong, Jack Trent and Cory Crawford are in action at the CRMC Championship on the PGA TOUR Canada.
Round 1 tee times AEST
LPGA Tour
Portland Classic
Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Portland, Oregon
12.48am Maria Fassi, Frida Kinhult, Stephanie Kyriacou
12.59am Hannah Green, Maja Stark, Elizabeth Szokol
1.10am* In Kyung Kim, Lydia Ko (NZ), Nelly Korda
1.21am Esther Henseleit, Grace Kim, Alexa Pano
5.26am* Yu-Sang Hou, Ruixin Liu, Su Oh
6.43am* Jennifer Chang, Sarah Kemp, Mi Hyang Lee
6.54am* Daniela Darquea, Karis Davidson, Lindy Duncan
Defending champion: Andrea Lee
Past Aussie winners: Hannah Green (2019)
TV times: Live 8am-11am Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503.
DP World Tour
Omega European Masters
Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland
3.50pm* Jeunghun Wang, Jason Scrivener, Hennie Du Plessis
4.50pm* Joost Luiten, Justin Suh, Daniel Hillier (NZ)
8.50pm Kristian Krogh Johannessen, Nathan Kimsey, Blake Windred
Defending champion: Thriston Lawrence
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1972), Brett Rumford (2007)
TV times: Live 9.30pm-2.30am Thursday, Friday; Live 8.30pm-1.30am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503.
Ladies European Tour
KPMG Women’s Irish Open
Dromoland Castle, County Clare, Ireland
5.55pm Momoka Kobori (NZ), Laura Beveridge, Amy Taylor
10.14pm* Moa Folke, Kirsten Rudgeley, Meghan MacLaren
11.20pm Emma Fleming, Linette Littau Durr Holmslykke, Wenyung Keh (NZ)
Defending champion: Klara Spilkova
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 1am-4am Friday, Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 12am-3am Sunday on Fox Sports 507; Live 1.30am-2.30am Monday on Fox Sports 503.
Japan Golf Tour
Fuji Sankei Classic
Fujizakura Country Club, Yamanashi
8.40am Anthony Quayle, Yasumasa Nagano, Ryo Katsumata
8.50am Brendan Jones, Komei Oda, Tomohiro Ishizaka
9.20am Brad Kennedy, Hiroyo Ikemura, Atom Shigenaga
9.45am* Shintaro Ban, Dylan Perry, Kyohei Terunuma
1.55pm Toshiyuki Hara, Andrew Evans, Yusuke Sakamoto
Defending champion: Kaito Onishi
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1973, 1974), Paul Sheehan (2004)
PGA TOUR Canada
CRMC Championship
Dragun’s Dutch Legacy Championship Course, Brainerd, Minnesota
10.30pm Eric Lilleboe, Cory Crawford, Mason Glinski
3.50am* Jack Trent, Luis Gerardo Garza, Will Chandler
5.30am Jason Hong, Matt Liringis, Drew Nesbitt
Defending champion: Jake Knapp
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Photo: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images