A blockbuster Sunday at El Caballero Country Club saw Australia’s Hannah Green secure the JM Eagle LA Championship via a three-way playoff, holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole after a monstrous back-nine comeback.
Green made four birdies in a row on her way back to the clubhouse to tie with South Korean duo Jin Hee Im and 56-hole leader Sei Young Kim at 17-under.
In the playoff on the par-4 18th, Green hit a wedge from 130 yards and curled in the right-to-left breaking putt as Kim left her 35-foot birdie putt short.
“I had that putt, obviously very similar line in regulation, so I felt somewhat comfortable,” Green said. “It still was a tough putt, so really glad it went in the hole.”
“I honestly didn’t think I was in the tournament still,” Green said. “I was just like, `Oh, well just go for as many pins as possible.’ And got on a nice stretch there. I kind of thought the putt that I missed on 16 was the crucial moment. I mean, I’m just fortunate enough that I at least got into the playoff.”
Green also won the event in 2023 and 2024 at Wilshire Country Club. The 29-year-old joined Hyo Joo Kim as the only two-time winners this season on the LPGA Tour and boosted her worldwide 2026 victory total to four.
Green has eight career LPGA Tour victories. She won the tour’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore early last month and also took the Women’s Australian Open and Australian WPGA.
Two strokes ahead heading into the final round, Sei Young Kim was disappointed not to get the job done.
“Just little disappointed because I had a good chance for the win,” she said. “Yeah, but she played well… strong finish on the back nine.”
Jin Hee Im was penalised one stroke for slow play on Saturday and in hindsight, this could well have cost her the victory.
“I just really enjoy this week,” Im said. “I’m really happy to be playing like this. Mostly, my ball was going where I was thinking.”
The LPGA now heads into its first major championship of the year, as The Chevron Championship gets underway on April 23rd in Houston where Irish golfers Leona Maguire and Lauren Walsh will be hoping to bounce back from their missed cuts at the JM Eagle Championship.
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