LPGA Tour star Hannah Green reacts to fourth win in five starts after slow play controversy

Australia's Hannah Green continued her remarkable run of form on the LPGA Tour in 2026. 

The 29-year-old won the JM Eagle Championship in California on Sunday after beating Korean duo Jin Hee Im and Sei Young Kim in a three-way playoff after mounting a stunning comeback on the back nine. 

It was all the more remarkable given at one stage she trailed Kim by six shots after the 33-year-old chipped in for an eagle three on the 11th hole at El Caballero. 

But Green reeled her in and produced five birdies on the back nine to extend the contest. She then curled in a 12-foot putt on the first hole of sudden-death to claim the top prize of $712,500. 

Kim missed a 35-foot putt for her birdie whilst Im couldn't get down in three after hitting a wayward tee shot. 

For Green, it was also the third time in four years that she has won this tournament and represented her fourth victory of the calendar year. 

Green became the first Australian to lift the Women's Australian Open since 2014 in March and also stepped into the winner's circle at the LPGA Women's World Championship and Australian WPGA Championship. 

"I didn't think I was still in the tournament," Green told reporters in the immediate aftermath of victory. 

"I was just like, go for as many pins as possible and got on a nice stretch there. 

"I'm just fortunate enough that I at least got into the playoff.”

She added: "I felt like I have a lot of moments where I do make lots of clutch putts, so I kind of felt somewhat confident. 

"If I had maybe a six-footer, the putts that you expect to make, I probably would’ve felt more nervous putting."

The final round also saw the aforementioned Im docked one stroke for playing too slowly. 

In February, the LPGA announced a stricter pace-of-play policy. 

Nelly Korda was among those to laud the change, saying: "Finally. I'm excited about it. If we're taking really long out there, that's not entertaining."

Im wasn't asked about the penalty after her round by the assembled media. 

During Saturday's round, the tournament organisers also announced a significant increase to the prize money on offer.

The 2026 edition of the JM Eagle Championship had a total purse of $4.75m (£3.5m). 

As a result, Green took home $712,500, up from $562,500.

On the increased purse, Green said: "Everyone wants to elevate their tournament.

"Not only do they put up the purses, they give us more benefits throughout the week, whether it's a rental car, housing, shuttles, having really good dining perks for caddies. They kind of think of all of that.

"It's nice obvious that they think about the purse, but they also think about the people that perhaps are struggling to keep up with the money as well.

"So giving it to all of us is really helpful and hopefully motivates other tournaments to actually want to contribute and keep elevating women's golf."

Green will now head into the first women's major of the year - the Chevron Championship - as one of the heavy favourites. 

The action gets underway on Thursday in Houston, Texas.