Hannah Green wins in Singapore again as newly married Kiwi wins New Zealand Open

Australian Hannah Green won the HSBC Women’s World Championship for a second time on Sunday, holding off a fast-finishing American Auston Kim to claim a one-stroke victory at Sentosa Golf Club.

Green, the 2019 Women’s PGA Championship winner, closed with a 69 after an erratic back nine with three birdies and three bogeys almost opened the door for Kim.

Green tapped in for bogey at the last and a 14-under four-round total of 274 at the par-72 course to give her another title in Singapore after also winning here in 2024.

Kim had the equal-best round of the day with a 67 on the back of six birdies and an eagle, but bogeys at the second and especially at the par-three 15th ended her charge at 13-under 275 and one shot behind a faltering Green.

Minjee Lee, who had been co-leader with Green coming into Sunday’s final round, mixed three birdies with three bogeys for a frustrating even final round 72 and was tied for third with Angel Yin (71) and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (68) of France at 11-under 277.

Top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul, who won last week’s tournament in her native Thailand, shot 73 on Sunday and was two-under 287 and tied for 31st. She was one shot behind defending champion Lydia Ko, who had a 72.

The 72-player, no-cut tournament was the second of three stops on the LPGA’s early-year Asian swing, with the final one next week at Hainan Island, China.

In Arrowtown, New Zealand, hometown favourite Daniel Hillier said winning the New Zealand Open on Sunday made it the “second-best day” of his life, beaten only by his wedding a week earlier.

DP World Tour regular Hillier capped a memorable week in the South Island’s Central Otago region, clinching the US$1.2 million tournament by two shots.

He became the first New Zealand winner of the country’s national Open in nine years and earned a berth at The Open at Royal Birkdale in July.

“That is the second-best day of my life behind my wedding last week,” Hillier said.

“This has been the absolute best week of my life.

“And to break the Kiwi drought here is pretty special – to do it in front of my family, my friends and my new wife.

“I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time, and I knew I had the game to do it.”

Hillier closed with a four-under 67 in cold weather to finish on 22 under at the picturesque Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown.

He was two strokes ahead of Australian LIV Tour golfer Lucas Herbert, with New Zealander Kerry Mountcastle and Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura a further three shots back in a share of third.

Hillier was the highest-ranked player, at 100th, coming into the Asian and Australasian Tours co-sanctioned tournament.

The 27-year-old has racked up four top-10 finishes in six World Tour events, including a runner-up finish at the Dubai Invitational in January.

“It was just a matter of not getting ahead of myself, and I was pretty proud of how I did that the whole week,” Hillier said.