SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY ACER

June 6, 2024

Hannah Green

Seaview, A Dolce Hotel

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, joined here by Hannah Green in the media center at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer.

Before we get into this week, let's talk a little bit about the U.S. Women's Open last week. Talk about the challenges you had. You had a solid finish still with the tough conditions out there, but talk about the experience you had.

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, I remember last time the women plays at Lancaster it was tough conditions. It definitely was that this year. I think the course played very different from Monday through to Sunday, but think come the weekend it was in really good condition.

Yeah, very happy to put a solid round in on Sunday. I feel like I needed a couple days' rest because it was so hilly and obviously very exhausting in the sense that every shot that you hit you had to kind of focus.

There wasn't really one hole where you could just take it easy or have a bit of a rest. So I'm excited to be back here at ShopRite.

Q. Talking about this week, you've had few previous starts here. Not since 2021, I believe. What are you mostly looking forward to about this week and what do you remember about your past times here?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, it has been a while since I played here at Seaview, but it's a really nice course. It's a little bit shorter than what we probably play and the scoring is typically very low, so making sure that going from a U.S. Open where pars are really good to then being aggressive and making birdies, I think that will be the toughest challenge for a lot of us that played at Lancaster.

We had a little bit of rain I guess this morning, so hopefully it's not too soft out there. Looking forward to trying, yeah, and making as many birdies as possible.

Q. You've had a great year so far. Two victories, runner-up finish last time we were in New Jersey. Summarize the year from your point of view so far.

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, been a great season so far. I'm pleased with last week's result and hopefully can contend more in major championships.

I feel like this year hasn't been too different. I've just been able to piece things together a little bit more than perhaps other years. I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but I also have a lot of events I'm looking forward to playing the rest of the season. So hopefully I can continue the ride I'm on and see how far it lasts.

Q. Couple of quick ones: You just touched on you've had a really good year so far. Just coming out of the U.S. Women's Open and to here, talk about your game and talk about being here at Seaview, which is one of the longest running events on the LPGA Tour.

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, it certainly is. Yeah, really happy to be back. Just hasn't worked out with the schedule. That's probably why I haven't been back.

It's a course where you have to pretty much have all your parts of your game working because you can't get too -- I mean, so many birdies are able to be made out there, so you got to make sure you're keeping up with the rest of the girls.

I'm happy to be back. Going to play the pro-am this afternoon and see what the course is like. Yeah, feeling confident about my game, and hopefully I can contend out there this week as well.

Q. You've won twice. You won the JM Eagle LA Championship for the second time earlier this year, one of your favorite tracks. Touch on that one a little bit. You have a remarkable course record at Wilshire, so talk about that experience and winning that event in 2024.

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, had some great results obviously winning this year and last year, but had a runner-up and a third place, so somewhere that I feel very comfortable at.

It's kind of funny. I just feel much more comfortable at the course. I don't know what it is and I wish I had that feeling at every golf course that we play at.

I think it helps with the support that I get from the Wilshire members. I stay with a host family, the Speckers (phonetic). Tom and Carrie have looked after me since I was a rookie in 2018, so nice to go back to a familiar place.

They're renovating the golf course and I did joke and say they didn't get it approved by me. The changes they are doing I think will be really good for the championship, so excited to see them.

Q. And on that, the LPGA, and we're announcing later this morning, that the 2025 event is moving to El Caballero Country Club in 2025. You haven't played that course. It's going to be kind of a new test. Is it something you're going to channel your experience at Wilshire and the familiarity with LA transfer over to El Cab in 2025?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, definitely. It's an event that I want to try and win three in a row, so I'm going to go out there and try and play as early as possible. My host dad said has already whenever I'm in town he would love to come and play a round of golf with me, so I figure we will probably go out and play there and he can try and help me with some course management perhaps.

But, yeah, I'm definitely going to be excited for the new challenge and see what happens, but I always enjoy going to LA, whether it's for a golf tournament or holiday. Looking forward to 2025.

Q. Last one from me: Coming back here to ShopRite, we mentioned it's one of the longest running events on the LPGA Tour. Last year this tournament eclipse $40 million in charitable giving. You travel the world, right, on a lot of these events. This is one of those tournaments that's a big community support. For you guys that travel all over the place, you're playing inside the ropes, when you hear the amount that's given to charities, based on you guys playing, how does that make you feel as a player knowing that you guys are impacting the community each week?

HANNAH GREEN: I had no idea that figure so that's really amazing. I think a lot of players probably wouldn't know that either. That's what we try to do when we come to communities and come to golf courses, is try and inspire golfers and also get people to help support causes that they may not know about.

So I think that's really amazing stat to hear and that's what we want to try and do, is affect not only the golfers, but everyone in the community.

Q. I have two more for you. We're about 50 days from the Olympics. A lot of questions about the Olympics this year. How much are you looking forward to the opportunity in Paris potentially?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, it's definitely been on my radar since we left Tokyo. Put myself in good stead, and I hope that Paris will be the full experience. Tokyo was obviously still COVID and we had a lot of the protocols, so it was pretty much only golf.

Really looking forward to competing and representing Australia and hopefully getting a podium finish would be nice.

Q. And just one last question: Karrie Webb is in the field this week. Obviously LPGA Hall of Famer. A lot of accolades. What does it mean to see her this week in the field and have her around?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, she loves it here. She has a lot of family and friends come and support her. It's nice to see her because we don't get that opportunity all that much anymore.

She did come to major championships and bring along the girls, but obviously with her schedule trying to go back to Australia doesn't happen as easy. It's nice to see her tee it up, and I hope she can try and beat some of us players.

She is definitely good enough, so see how she competes.

Q. How much has she been a mentor for you over the years? She came in for a press conference and talked about how great it's been see the Aussies, how they all get together and hang out. Sounds like she had the chance to do that with you. Speak to her character.

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, she messaged a group chat and asked if we were all free for dinner and everyone showed, so it was really nice to have that support. Bit of banter between us all at dinner, which isn't uncommon when we all get together.

Yeah, she's always thinking about the next generation of golfers, and we definitely think that she's had an impact. Whether we've had her scholarship or not, she's always tries to reach out and introduce herself to the next up and coming players.

Hopefully one day when you do step away from professional golf I can have some sort of impact like she has.

Q. ... inspire you to see what Karrie does as far as giving back to the game. As impressive as her career has been on the course, her impact on the game is probably even greater off the course and will continue to be. How does that inspire you and the other Australian players to give back to the game like that?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, definitely. It's kind of hard shoes to fill and to try and give back to the game of golf the way she has, but perhaps if she does step away from competing completely, perhaps Minjee or myself or even any of the other girls can in some way try and help the game of golf.

I wouldn't want to take away from what she's done with the scholarship, but if I can in some way help the girls, because that was definitely one of the reasons why I wanted to be a professional golfer, if I could somehow have an impact on someone's career, whether one person, I would love to do that.

I don't know how that looks right now, especially with me still playing. Hopefully one day I can do that.

Q. With Karrie being a part of coaching this year, how cool would that be to have her in another part of your game almost a little bit?

HANNAH GREEN: Yeah, she was kind of -- in 2016 when it was announced that the golf would be involved, she was looking really good to make the team; unfortunately didn't. I think she was very heartbroken that she wasn't able to represent the country in that way.

Her being a captain is the best way to have her involved, and she's such a true Australian. She loves watching Aussie sports no matter what sport it is. She's going to be so excited for the week. We've spoken about little things here and there, so really grateful to have the opportunity to have her be a captain and just looking forward to the week already.