AUSTRALIANS HAVE STRONG SHOWING
Three Australian players finished inside the top-10 this week: top-ranked Aussie Minjee Lee (T3, -6), second round leader Sarah Jane Smith (T3, -6) and the current No. 1 on the ALPG Order of Merit Hannah Green (T7, -5). Australian Olympian Su Oh finished at 4-under after playing in the final group and shooting a 4-over 77 on Sunday.
WORLD TOP-10 PLAYERS CRASH THE PARTY LATE
Ha Na Jang wasn’t the only player inside the top-10 of the Rolex Rankings that made waves in the final round. Many thought No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn would pull away after holding the lead for a bit of time Sunday - Jutanugarn would finish T3 at 6-under par.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson had an electric front nine with five birdies to shoot 32, but would play the back nine at 3-over par to finish at 2-under for the tournament in a tie for 21st.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko shot a 2-over 75 on Sunday to finish T46.
All four players will move on to play in Thailand next week.
THAILAND’S BEST READY TO PLAY IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD
Thailand’s top three players all finished inside of the top-16 in Australia: Ariya Jutanugarn (T3, -6), Pornanong Phatlum (T7, -5) and Moriya Jutanugarn (T16, -3). The trio are heating up just in time to play in front of their home fans at the Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club next week.
2017 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic champion Lexi Thompson is the defending champion at the event.
QUICK HITS
Ha Na Jang picked up her fourth career victory in Australia. Jang finished third on Tour in wins in 2016 (3) after becoming a Rolex First Time Winner at the 2016 Coates Golf Championship Presented by R+L Carriers; - she has four wins in her last 22 starts.
Ha Na Jang made four starts between this week and her last victory at the 2016 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship.
Ha Na Jang has six career victories in five seasons on the LPGA of Korea and was the 2013 Player of the Year and money list winner.
Ha Na Jang joins Jiyai Shin as the second South Korean player to win the Australian Open event in its six-year history since becoming an LPGA event.
Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen had the best finish of her career in LPGA events earning solo runner-up honors. Madsen has 11 career top-10 finishes on the Ladies European Tour including a win at the 2016 Tipsport Golf Masters.
Defending Australian Open champion Haru Nomura finished in a tie for third at 6-under par.
Canada’s Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (T7, -5) finished inside the top-10 for the first time in her LPGA career.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“But every hole is happy, you know why, my hit driver 300 yard, because it’s long on the fairway. Always looking, oh, 300 yards, oh it looks like little girl’s Bubba Watson. That’s funny.”
- Ha Na Jang on the firm Australian fairways adding distance to her drives
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