Hannah Green has barely had time to realise what she achieved by breaking a 12-year drought of home winners at the Women’s Australian Open, with the West Australian straight to work ahead of this week’s Australian WPGA Championship.

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On a flight last Sunday evening headed for Sanctuary Cove for this week’s WPGA Championship, Green was still coming to terms with winning a tournament she has consistently likened to a major championship.

“I mean, with how exhausted I am right now, it kind of does feel like I’ve just played a major championship,” Green exclusively told Australian Golf Digest.

“In all honesty, it’s still kind of sinking in. I guess perhaps if I was at home with the trophy, seeing that on the cabinet that I have, it would sink in a little bit quicker.”

Receiving congratulations and a “welcome to the club” from the other three Aussie winners of the Patricia Bridges Bowl – Jane Crafter, Jan Stephenson and Karrie Webb – it was no doubt Green’s mentor of sorts, Webb, whose words meant the most.

“Well, she was ecstatic,” Green said. “She said I could have probably made it a little less stressful for her watching on the other side of the TV. But no, she was very proud of me as always.”

Set to catch up with the seven-time major winner this week at a tournament where Webb’s name adorns the trophy, Green noted the special feeling of overhearing conversations during the prize ceremony.

“They had MyGolfers come on the 18th green there and just hearing them say, ‘This is my handicap. This is what I want to do. I want to be like Hannah Green’,” said the now world No.7.

“It’s not why I play golf, but be able to do that and have that effect on Australian golf is really cool. This is why I really love coming back home to play. Just inspiring the next generation.”

That next generation is set to contest a growing Australian summer of golf if they do follow Green’s footsteps, with the WPGA Championship the fourth week of co-sanctioned Ladies European Tour and WPGA Tour of Australasia action. And the Women’s Australian Open back as a standalone event.

“I think so,” Green said when asked if her success and the reception of the men’s Open featuring Rory McIlroy validated the decision to do away with the mixed format.

“I guess it was the last time we had it was back in 2020, so it worked really well. We had Nelly Korda obviously come down and play Inbee Park win in 2020.

“So it was that time of year where you could attract the best players in the world. So even though it was in March, it was still a little bit tricky for the LPGA schedule, but I feel like now having it as a standalone event, we can actually get those big players to come back down. And Adelaide is, I think, honestly, the perfect venue to have it.”