Hannah Green gets in her punches in the boxing ring and on the golf course

By Canadian Press on March 24, 2026.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Nelly Korda wasn’t the only LPGA player whose results took a dip after a big year. Hannah Green was a three-time winner in 2024 — a season dwarfed by Korda’s seven-title season — and then failed to win anywhere in the world last year for the first time since 2021.

But the Australian has come out swinging.

Green last week became the first Australian to win three straight tournaments on main tours around the world — the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, the Australian Women’s Open and then last week the Australian Women’s PGA Championship.

“I thought that I had a good preseason. I knew that my game was all going to be good for the season early on, but I didn’t really imagine to have three wins this early in the season,” Green said. “I think I actually said before Singapore that I hope to have a win this year.”

That preseason included stepping into the ring.

Green knew she needed to work on her cardio and stamina, and she hates the idea of running. So she returned to boxing, going eight two-minute rounds as part of her regimen.

“At first, I was horrible with my coordination and getting the steps correct and actually hitting something hard,” Green said. “I wanted to just punch as hard as possible instead of actually having the stamina to go eight rounds, but it’s been a lot of fun.”

And it beat the alternative of standard cardio work.

“If I play a sport, I’m happy to run around,” she said. “But if I want to go for a run, I just absolutely won’t. So getting some extra cardio on top of already the gym work that I do throughout the week has been a lot of fun. Just something different mentally, as well.”

She said she got in eight to 10 sessions during her offseason and probably won’t get in the ring as much now because it leaves her sore. But it has done wonders for her stamina.

Green left the Gold Coast for Phoenix. She is up to No. 7 in the women’s world ranking and faces a field at the Ford Championship that includes nine of the top 10 players. She hopes that stamina will help in the majors. Her first LPGA title was the KPMG Women’s PGA at Hazeltine in 2019, but she hasn’t had a top 10 in a major since 2022.

Rose’s special trophy

Justin Rose added another trophy to his case when he was home last week in England, this from a victory 24 years ago and one that holds great relevance to him.

Two friends noticed the trophy from the 2002 Victor Chandler British Masters at auction, and they bought it for Rose. He beat Ian Poulter by one shot for his third career victory. It also was the last year Victor Chandler was the title sponsor.

Rose said there were only four editions of that particular trophy, and he doesn’t recall ever getting a replica or giving it much thought. But it was important for a reason.

“I talk about that win a lot being one of my most special wins,” Rose said on an Instagram post. “It was the only win my late dad Ken was able to be there with me on the day and hoist this trophy.”

He showed a picture of his father’s hand on the trophy and said, “Now I have the actual physical embodiment of that day.”

His father died of cancer three months later. Rose placed the trophy next to one his father won as a 17-year-old.

Masters and the world ranking

Daniel Berger lost in a playoff at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The consolation prize was enough world ranking points to return to the Masters.

This is the final week for players to move into the top 50 in the world ranking and qualify for a Masters invitation. Berger, Jake Knapp and Matt McCarty all appear to be safe. Nicolai Hojgaard is at No. 47 and not quite a lock.

Knapp was No. 105 at the start of the year. He tied for 11th in the Sony Open and then ran off four consecutive top 10s. McCarty got his boost as a runner-up at The American Express.

On the bubble is Pierceson Coody at No. 51. His grandfather, Charles Coody, won the 1971 Masters. Michael Thorbjornsen, who was in the final group at The Players Championship and closed with a 77 to tie for 22nd, is at No. 56. Jayden Schaper of South Africa is at No. 59 but is not entered in the Hero Indian Open on the European tour.

The winners of the Houston Open and Texas Open get invitations. It is shaping up to be a Masters with a little more than 90 players, which is just how Augusta National likes it.

And still to be determined is if Tiger Woods is one of them.

The Korda sisters

Jessica and Nelly Korda are in the field for the Ford Championship this week in Phoenix, marking the first time since 2023 they have played in an official LPGA Tour event together.

Jessica began experiencing back pain that caused her to take an indefinite leave after she withdrew from the Cognizant Cup. A few months later, she announced she was pregnant and she gave birth to her son in February 2024.

There’s a lot of new faces for Jessica, and one very familiar one — her younger sister.

“You don’t have to think about who you’re going to play a practice round with or you’re going to sit at lunch with,” Jessica said Tuesday. “There is a lot of new faces, especially after not being out here for three years. So I think there is maybe like a handful of players that I really know from when I was playing actively. Having my sister out is a nice ease into the week.”

Nelly Korda said she had to make a lot of adjustments in the second part of 2023 without having her sister on tour with her.

“It’s been really nice to have her back,” she said.

Divots

Karrie Webb has been selected to return as captain of Australia’s Olympic golf team for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Webb, the only player to win the “Super Slam” of all five LPGA majors, became the first woman to captain men’s and women’s golf teams in Paris in 2024. … Colin Montgomerie has been appointed to the European Tour Group board of directors. … Chris Wood, who played for Europe in the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, won the Order of Merit on the MENA Tour and will get a Challenge Tour card in Europe for the rest of 2026.

Stat of the week

Matt Fitzpatrick was the first player in 13 years to win the Valspar Championship while playing bogey-free on the weekend at Innisbrook.

Final word

“Going to take the Masters off again for like the 38th year.” — Joel Dahmen, 38, discussing his upcoming schedule.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press