Hannah Green will take a one shot lead into the final round of the Women’s Australian Open as she looks to close out a historic victory on home soil.
The seven-time LPGA winner carded a third round 68 (-4) to leapfrog overnight leader Celine Herbin and sit in pole position heading until Sunday. She leads Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher by one shot with Casandra Alexander and Karis Davidson four shots adrift in T3.
On a sun-soaked Saturday at Kooyonga Golf Club, and playing alongside Herbin and compatriot Kirsten Rudgeley, Green got straight to business carding three birdies in her first five holes at the 2nd, 4th and 5th.
A tricky turn saw her twice bounce back from bogeys at the 8th and 10th as France’s Agathe Laisne took the outright lead in the group ahead.
But Laisne, a recent winner at the Ford Women’s NSW Open, dropped shots at the 12th and 14th to give back the lead before she found the sand three times on the 18th to card a double-bogey.
Green meanwhile, a one-time Major winner, posted another birdie at the 16th following a classy approach to move ahead of Simmermacher.
Having won on the LPGA in Singapore two weeks ago, Green is aiming to close out the job on Sunday and become her nation’s first winner of the Women’s Australian Open since Karrie Webb in 2014.
“I feel like I’m going to be sleeping okay,” Green said on the challenge ahead. “Luckily I am a good sleeper, but I think tomorrow morning, depending on tee times, I might have to distract myself a little bit, maybe go out for breakfast, go get a matcha or something.
“But I’m super excited. I really hope more people come out and that the crowds will get bigger. It looks like it’s going to be a little warmer. Hopefully that means the course firms up because there was a couple of times where I thought it was going to bounce a bit bigger, but it didn’t. I think the forecast looks really good. Hopefully not too much win because it got pretty gusty those last few holes, but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Making the most of moving day was fellow Olympian Simmermacher. Teeing up as an invite this week, the Argentinian posted a memorable 67 (-5) which included the shot of the day at the par-4 17th as she almost holed out with a 7-iron.
“I can’t believe it,” Simmermacher said. “I’m actually [here] as an invite this week, so I’m really glad I got it. I have a local caddie who’s played here and he’s been really good for me because sometimes on lines or clubs he’s just like, ‘no, let’s go one more.’ Or the line be like ‘no, left edge’ and I trust in him more than me. I played very good [today].”
Simmermacher made just three cuts on the Ladies European Tour (LET) in 2025 before teeing up at Q-School where she finished T58 to miss out on full playing rights. 2022 remains her best season to date where she finished 6th on the Order of Merit.
“I’m really nervous actually,” the 29-year-old said. “But it’ll be fun. I think I haven’t had this in a while and it feels good to finally play good golf again. I knew I was playing good back home. I was preparing and I was shooting very low rounds, but then it’s different to come to championships and do it. So I’m really happy it worked out.”
Two more Aussies remain in the hunt to clinch a famous home win with Rudgeley and Davidson sitting on four-under par alongside overnight leader Herbin.
Czech star Jana Melichova posted the round of the day 65 (-7) in Adelaide to soar up the leaderboard. The scorecard matched her best ever 18 hole performance on the circuit as she continues her comeback trail following back surgery last year.
“If I give you a very honest answer, at the beginning of the tournament, I was sort of stressed out,” Melichova said. “I was sort of nervous. And in that situation, my body gets so stiff and I feel like it really affected my game because I cannot swing freely. And today I was just swinging like that, like really smoothly, very loose. It was perfect.”
The two-time LET winner shares eighth spot heading into the final round on three-under par alongside Sweden’s Moa Folke.
The fourth and final round of the Women’s Australian Open gets underway tomorrow morning at 7:25 local time. The leading group of Green, Simmermacher and Alexander will go out at 11:31.
Watch live and follow all the action from the Women’s Australian Open on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube.
