KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 23, 2021

Hannah Green

Atlanta Athletic Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Here with Rolex Rankings No. 15, Hannah Green, our 2019 KPMG Women's PGA winner. I know last year was a little weird showing up to Aronimink and no fans. This is a bit more appropriate what it will feel like as a major champion. What have the last few days been like for you?

HANNAH GREEN: It's been really nice being out here and having spectators back out. Definitely missing those. Just rolling up and having my own parking space and seeing my face around the clubhouse, it's a great feeling. Hard not to smile when you see that.

I'm really looking forward to playing this week. Hopefully I can do well.

THE MODERATOR: Sei Young mentioned yesterday pulling in for the first time and seeing her face big on a poster. Does that ever get old?

HANNAH GREEN: No, not really. Today is the date two years today when I won, so it's going to be a special week no matter what the outcome is. Yeah, like Sei Young said, it is quite strange. Obviously she's won many, but this is my first one so it was a little bit of a surprise.

But yeah, it gives you a little bit of confidence, too, to hopefully do well again.

THE MODERATOR: Awesome. I hadn't done that math knowing it was literally two years ago today. What do you remember most about that week at Hazeltine and the last few hours?

HANNAH GREEN: Last few hours were hectic. I was just so lucky that I had so many loved ones with me. I really couldn't have planned it any better. I would've loved to have had my parent there to celebrate with, but to have my boyfriend, my best friend, and my idol there is pretty good list of people to celebrate with.

The last probably 40 minutes of golf was kind of hard to remember just because I was so pumped up and nervous and first time in that position, but I've had a couple memories pop up of me holing the final putt and everyone racing on to the green to spray me with beer.

Yeah, good to know and see those memories again, and hopefully create some new ones this week.

THE MODERATOR: Yes. Fast forward two years of getting back to normal. We've got fans out there, it's much more of a normal feel. We are at a new place though. You got your win at Hazeltine; now we're here at Atlanta Athletic. You have had a couple days to see the golf course. What are the takeaways?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, obviously we got quite a lot of rain on Monday so I think the course is going to be quite challenging. It's going to be pretty much all carry this week, so it's going to suit people that hit it long.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the PGA sets up the golf course. It's a great track. It's definitely going to be a ball striking course. But the greens are quite difficult to read, so I think it will favor people that are probably used to grain.

But I been rolling it good the last few weeks. Just haven't made the putts. Haven't gone in. Just got to stay patient like always at major championships.

I'm not really sure what the scoring will be like. I guess obviously depends how they set up the golf course. But I have good feelings this week, so that's always nice.

THE MODERATOR: You mentioned you been playing well. Some of the balls just not falling in. You've been playing really well; haven't missed a cut in almost a year. A lot of good Top 10, Top 20 finishes. Have you been working on stuff in your game or what do you think is the reason for the solid play, if not yet the breakthrough win again?

HANNAH GREEN: I mean, coming in with a shorter club has definitely helped this season. I feel like every year I've gotten better and that's what you're trying to do. Every day you want to get better, but sometimes that doesn't happen.

It is nice to see that the stuff I been doing in the pre-season is still paying off. I'm hoping, yeah, to hole some more putts this week, but just feeling a lot more confident. I think that has come from winning KPMG a couple years ago.

Q. You mentioned that this was your first win, it was particularly memorable. You are part of a recent trend. Of the last 10 majors, seven of them were won by first-time winners. Is there anything about majors in particular that would allow a player to more easily win for the first time compared to a regular LPGA event?

HANNAH GREEN: I think because it is the first time you're in that position you don't really know what you have to lose. I think that's probably what helped me. I want to say when I was in contention in Singapore I was probably just as nervous and we didn't have spectators.

I think it was because I knew what I had to lose. I've had two wins out here on tour and I was in contention those weeks so it was success story, but I think because I was so close to winning I knew what it felt like. But I didn't actually realize there was that many girls that won for the first time. I guess they're just young and free and no real bad memories, I guess.

So hopefully I can stop that stat this week and win again, but we'll see what happens.

Q. How much more difficult is it to play knowing what you have to lose?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, it's hard not to think about the stuff that's happened prior. Sometimes it's good. You have good feelings and good memories and sometimes there are bad thoughts that are hard to block out.

That's why we have caddies to rely on and an entire team to help us through that. I'll be relying on them probably this week. (Smiling.)

Q. You just mentioned that the confidence you received from winning the KPMG a couple years ago was a big boost to the way you played. Has there been any other sorts of ways that the KPMG Women's PGA impacted your career?

HANNAH GREEN: I guess just the recognition by fellow tour players. Obviously some people know that I decided to go back to Australia for four weeks after I won KPMG so I hadn't seen a lot of girls on tour for nearly a month.

So I just guess going back and seeing players that I've never really played before or even met, have them come up and congratulate me definitely made me feel like I'm on the radar a little bit more.

Yeah, to get the recognition from fellow tour players as well as people back home, I had a lot media to do, I don't think really many people in Perth really knew me, so I guess that has now changed in the golfing world.

Yeah, it's given me some confidence. Obviously achieved a huge thing. I think I should have that confidence.

Q. How are you approaching this event and what have you been focusing on in your preparations?

HANNAH GREEN: I've had a great season so far. I have had some top 10s. Been in contention. I don't see why I can't do that again this week. Major championships are long weeks, so I just want to make sure that I'm not pushing myself too early, especially with the finishing holes this week. Anything can really happen.

There is a lot of water on this golf course, so you can just make one bad swing and have a big number. So hopefully I keep those off the scorecard and just mentally stay within it. This is my fifth event in a row, so hopefully I don't have too many times where I'm a little bit tired.

So far my preparation, I've been smart about it. I haven't pushed myself too hard. Hopefully I'll be raring to go until Sunday.

Q. To start your session today you spoke about the celebration that you had at Hazeltine and how important it was to you. At Olympic Club you stayed behind to help Yuka celebrate her victory. How important was it to show some support to your fellow competitor?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, I mean, Yuka has come over from Japan and is traveling with her family, but this isn't her tour she's a member of just yet. Obviously now she has, but I wanted to make sure she feels welcome. I've known her for so long. We met playing golf in Asia Pacific region. Known each other for probably seven, eight years. Although we haven't seen each other much in those few years, she's obviously ticked off a great thing. I'm really happy that she's joining our tour and going to come out and play with us.

Yeah, she deserves it. She's going to be a great player and probably one to watch.

Q. Australia is such an Olympic-mad country. What would be a bigger deal back there, your major or a gold medal?

HANNAH GREEN: I would say a gold medal, yeah. I think because it is so rare to get a gold medal, once every four years. Obviously winning a major is still hard. Even though we have five chances a year it's hard to get your name on a trophy.

But I think everyone would notice, not just the golfing world would notice if you won a medal.

Q. Follow to that, does it puzzle you then that your male counterparts have bailed from it by and by?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, it's interesting to see how the men and women have changed their schedule for it. It's a tournament that I am prioritizing. I'm going back to Australia Monday so that I can be as fresh as possible for the Olympics.

It is disappointing, but I can understand where they're coming from. With our side of the schedule it is very hectic. Some girls will be coming from Europe to go to Asia and back to Europe, so I think I've made the right decision for myself in order to go back to Australia and prepare that way. Not everyone can sacrifice that.

I would say for the men it's probably the same thing. It is a tough choice. I guess those guys are probably going to try and compete in 2024 in Paris.

Q. I want to ask you about the new stats project and partnership with KPMG that was announced yesterday. It's great for us. We all know Inbee is a good putter, we all know so and so is a good ball-striker, but what does it mean to you as an athlete to be able to put that into context and refine and work more on different parts of your game?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, makes a huge difference. It can change the way you prepare for a tournament, the way you play during the tournament. I think me and my team have always looked at stats, and to have the tour be able to get that to us as well, really interesting to see. I've always looked at my own game, but be interesting to see where I rank against my fellow competitors and what I can improve.

Yeah, it's great that KPMG have jumped on board because I think it is a long overdue thing. I think that's what the fans want to see. PGA TOUR have a great stats program and everyone can see it, so I think we should have that on LPGA.

THE MODERATOR: Absolutely agreed.

Q. Just to pound this Olympic theme, I guess I'm curious what you think it says about where the men's and women's games are right now that the women almost unanimously it's like the highlight of their year and the men are like ambivalent about it. Even the ones that are going are not speaking with the same enthusiasm you are.

HANNAH GREEN: Uh-huh.

Q. Why? To what do you owe that?

HANNAH GREEN: I guess it's just probably the money that they're playing for every week. You know, I think we play for great money. Those players can retire when they're finished with their careers, but most of us on tour are going to have a family or we are going to move onto something else that we want to do.

So I think probably that perspective is probably changed playing for money versus for a medal. I'd rather a gold medal than a huge paycheck, because hopefully I just keep playing well and that will come with it.

So it is quite interesting, everyone's views. I hope maybe COVID will change that. Maybe next Olympics we'll see a difference. I think Paris will be a pretty cool place to play, so maybe that be entice people a bit more.

Q. You were already asked about how many first time major winners there have been, and you're one of them. Seems like it's at the point where it's unpredictable who might win. Do you think the depth of talent has lead to a place where that's a permanent situation, or is it a matter time before we'll see another Inbee Park who is winning four or five majors?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, it's hard. There are so many young girls coming through, so much talent on the tour, and we are a global tour. I mean, obviously we are all trying to dominate and have as many wins as possible.

But, yeah, we have seen a lot of first time winners at majors as well as just regular tour events. So I think it just goes to show we're all trying to push each other and try to be the No. 1 player in the world. It's a hard question to answer.

I don't know if we'll see many players that have the record that Inbee Park does. I played with her the other day and when she got announced at the tee it was 21 wins. I was like, Wow. That makes me want to smile. I don't know if we'll see anyone quite do that, but, yeah, you never know I guess.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks so much, Hannah, have a good one.

HANNAH GREEN: Thank you.