Hannah Green shines and wins her eighth title on the LPGA in L.A.

Hannah Green claims another epic victory in Los Angeles, securing the eighth trophy of her LPGA career

In a weekend full of surprises and heightened emotions, Australian star Hannah Green shone brightly once again at the JM Eagle LA Championship in Los Angeles, securing her eighth victory on the LPGA tour. The tournament was marked not only by fierce competition but also by a bombshell announcement from JM Eagle CEO Walter Wang, who surprised everyone on Saturday by increasing the prize money by one million dollars, raising the total to an impressive 4.75 million — the largest purse outside of the majors and the CME Group Tour Championship.

Drama dominated the El Caballero course on the final round on Sunday. South Korean Sei Young Kim seemed on her way to a comfortable victory, leading by as many as eight strokes on Saturday, but found herself forced to chase down her rivals after an unexpected fall. In the end, three players crossed the finish line tied at 17 under par: Jin Hee Im, Hannah Green, and Kim, setting the stage for an electrifying playoff.

Green, who was six strokes behind on the 11th hole, staged an impressive comeback with five birdies in six holes at the end of the course, finishing the round with a score of 68 and a back nine of 31. In the first playoff hole, the Australian made a 4.5-meter birdie putt on the 18th hole, clinching the title and a prize of $712,500. This victory marks Green’s fourth worldwide, adding to her wins at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, the Australian Open, and the Australian WPGA.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I was still in contention for the title,” Green confessed, visibly emotional. “I just thought about attacking targets and I managed a fantastic streak.”

Kim, who had dominated much of the tournament, saw her lead evaporate after four consecutive bogeys on Saturday. The aggressive player acknowledged that she needed to listen to her long-time caddie, Paul Fusco, more during the pressure of the final round. Meanwhile, Jin Hee Im faced a tense moment when she was penalized for slow play on the 13th hole on Saturday, but responded with an explosive performance on Sunday, including an eagle on the 16th and a long par putt on the 17th, putting pressure on her competitors until the end.

In the playoff, Im was unable to recover after a poorly positioned tee shot, while Kim missed the green on her second shot. Neither was able to match Green’s decisive birdie, which confirmed her supremacy in the competition.

“I’m a little disappointed because I had a great opportunity to win,” lamented Kim, who, until then, had triumphed in nine of the thirteen tournaments where she led after the final round.

In other notable positions, South Korean Ina Yoon finished in fourth place, while American rookie Melanie Green secured her first top 10 finish on the LPGA. The young American prospect Asterisk Talley, just 17 years old, recovered from a challenging start to finish tied for 14th place. Meanwhile, last year’s champion, Ingrid Lindblad, who had been going through a tough phase since her title, had an encouraging performance finishing in 36th place.

With adrenaline still high, the LPGA is now preparing for the Chevron Championship in Houston, the first major of the season, where the battle for the top of women’s golf promises to continue at full throttle.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.