NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA – Christmas is already on Hannah Green’s mind. Not because she’s ready to decorate her tree or exchange gifts but because it’s likely the next time she’ll get to see her parents.
“I won't be back home until maybe after Christmas, which is probably the longest I've ever been away from home,” Green said Tuesday. “I'm hoping that I can have a win in the next few events and just book any ticket back.”
Green, who is the defending champion of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, is from Australia. In the best of circumstances, it takes the 23-year-old roughly 24 hours to fly home, making the journey quite arduous. Due to COVID-10, her ability to return to Perth has become even more challenging. Green can’t merely fly home during an off week and return when the LPGA Tour resumes. Currently, Australia has a 14-day quarantine policy in place for anyone traveling to the country, making her ability to return home that much tougher.
“I'm such a homebody, so that's probably going to be the biggest struggle of the year,” Green said about not being able to return home. “Hopefully, I can get home earlier than Christmas.”
Green kicked off her season in February in her native Australia with back-to-back events on the LPGA schedule. But then COVID-19 swept the world and the LPGA Tour went on hiatus. Green’s next start didn’t come until mid-August in Scotland. Since then, she’s been on the road.
With the help of Golf Australia, which provides support to players making the transition from the amateur to professional ranks, she’s had a place to stay in the United States. Green and fellow Aussie and LPGA Tour professional Su Oh have been able to stay in a house provided by Golf Australia in Orlando, Florida and play at Orange County National Golf Club as well as Isleworth Country Club.
“We've been very fortunate to get on to there,” Green says with a smile.
An early Christmas gift could arrive this week in the form of a successful defense. Green played Aronimink Golf Club for the first-time last week and likened the layout to the one she conquered when she went wire-to-wire for her victory in 2019 at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
“I'm super excited,” said Green. “I'm already getting good vibes from this course.”
