Date: October 10, 2017
Author: Martin Blake

Flying finish for Green

Australia's Hannah Green has put an exclamation mark on her brilliant season in America by finishing second on the Symetra Tour money list.

Green fired the day's low round, a 65, to leap to fifth place in the Tour Championship at Daytona Beach, Florida, the season-ender.

The 20-year-old from Perth, who is a member of the Golf Australia rookie squad, was able to celebrate later with her graduation to the main LPGA Tour from 2018.

Green had already secured her card after winning three times on the tour this year, but her performance in the rain-marred Tour Championship saw her leap from third to second on the money list and also take out rookie-of-the-year honors.

Green said the championship had been "the longest three-day tournament I've ever seen'' but was rapt to have completed her season. “I think you have to set your goals pretty high, I’m not out here to get 10th place, I’m here to win every week,” she told the tour website. “Some people don’t feel that way, but I think you have to to be competitive. I certainly am, so for that goal to have been achieved was pretty awesome, and I can’t believe I’m going to be on the LPGA next year.”

Rachel Rohanna of the United States won the Tour Championship and Thailand's Benyapa Niphatsophon was the tour's money leader.

The top 10 players on the money list are all granted full LPGA Tour status for next year.

Green, who is only one year into her professional career, tried to qualify at the end of 2016 but missed out, sending her to the secondary Symetra Tour.

Of the other Australians, Jayde Panos hung on well to fininsh T12 with a 71 in arguably her best outing for the season. Rebecca Artis shot a 68 to move up to T26, Steph Na was T40 and Emily McLennan T53.

MONEY LIST