Major winner Hannah Green doesn’t want the women’s stars to be “shamed” for playing great golf as they held their own against the men in the scoring department on the first day of the historic dual-gender Australian Open.
Green (-5) was among the standouts of the opening round, which split players across Melbourne’s Kingston Heath and Victoria clubs on Thursday.
As conjecture swirled about how tournament organisers would tinker with the course to make it suitable for both men and women, Green and LPGA rookie Grace Kim (-7) set the early morning pace as the leading women shot fractionally lower than the men.
“I hope that if we continue to go low and the men don’t, that we don’t get shamed for playing good golf,” world No.20 Green said after her opening round at Kingston Heath on Thursday morning.
“It happens a lot. Not that we have many joint tournaments where this situation happens, but I feel like from our experience, if we shoot in the 20s, like 20-under par for the week, they consider the course too easy. But if the guys do it, it’s like they played really good. Hopefully that doesn’t happen.”
Green was the first to step onto the tee in the innovative tournament, which is the first time a national championship has been played with men and women alongside each other.
Hannah Green plays during the first round of the Australian Open at Kingston Heath.Credit:AP
She surged to six-under through 10 holes, and then pumped her fist after a birdie on the last after a back nine blip.
Kim, who has earned a LPGA Tour card, set the early pace with a 66 on the par-73 Kingston Heath course before watching US Open champion Minjee Lee and AIG Women’s Open winner Ashleigh Buhai tee up at Victoria in the afternoon wave.
Kim had birdies on her first five holes after starting on the back nine.
Asked about Green’s comments, Kim said: “Although it is a mixed event, they might have considered us for pin positions and all that, but I think in the end we’re all playing the same course.
Grace Kim shot an opening round 66 at Kingston Heath.Credit:AP
“Girls do tend to hit it straighter than guys. I don’t know how they hit it so wide and make pars. For us, it’s a lot easier to just hit it straighter.
“I was definitely nervous at the start because I haven’t played a tournament in over a month now since I’ve been back. You’re at home, so expectations and pressures are pretty high. But I just tried to embrace it all and tried to enjoy it.”
“I think sandbelt [courses] really shows the good players through. If you hit a bad putt, you’re going to miss it bad and if you hit a good putt, it deserves to go in.”
Kim finished the day two shots clear of Green and Korea’s Jiyai Shin.
Lee, whose brother Min Woo is one of the favourites in the men’s event, was the major drawcard in the women’s field for the afternoon wave and used an eagle on the eighth at Victoria as the jump-start for her round.
She finished with a two-under 70, which put her in the clubhouse tied for seventh. South Africa’s Buhai (-3) and American world No.13 Jennifer Kupcho (even) remain within striking distance of the leaders heading into Friday’s second round.
Watch the Australian Open on the 9Network and 9Now from December 1-4.
