An Australian golfer is set to enjoy a distinct home advantage this week – nearly 15,000 kilometres away from home.
For Hannah Green, the upcoming US Women’s Open at the historic Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California represents the perfect opportunity to break a seven-year major drought dating back to her maiden major victory in 2019.
And it all comes down to the grass.
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Unlike most stops on the LPGA Tour, Riviera features kikuyu grass, a notorious turf where the ball sticks exactly where it lands.
While the unique surface will force most of the field to second-guess their chips and flyers, Green will feel right at home.
Hannah Green could break her major drought in LA. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Growing up in Perth, she spent her formative years practicing on this exact turf, giving her a massive tactical edge.
While Riviera is hosting a women’s major for the very first time, Green enters the week as one of the hottest players in world golf, having already captured four titles in a blistering 2026 season.
However, playing on Kikuyu requires a specific nuance that her rivals are already scrambling to figure out.
“It’s funny, players have been asking me what it’s like to play off,” she admitted to media, including Wide World of Sports.
“The kikuyu grass is pretty much what most of the courses in Western Australia have, so very familiar with that.
“Even my caddy, he’s from South Africa and they’re very much used to having that type of grass. It’s weird because sometimes even on the fairway you can still get a flyer, which you typically would normally get out of the rough.
“It’ll be something hopefully I can use to an advantage but also, it’s going to be interesting to see how they set it up. I haven’t read much information about what it’s going to be like, how thick the rough will be, things like that.”
Green hopes to weaponise her lifelong familiarity with the turf to capture her second major title.
“Typical US Open, I feel like it’s going to be long, so hopefully I can hit it long and straight off the tee and give myself the advantage with my ball striking that I’ve had this year,” she said.
The Australian had an absolute hot streak to start off 2026, winning four out of five tournaments, including a double in Australia.
The club, deep in the Pacific Palisades, could be a missing piece for Hannah Green. PGA TOUR
But a lull has left the Aussie looking for more, at Chevron she finished equal seventh, 12 strokes off winner Nelly Korda.
“I definitely think it has to do with being at home, I feel like I’m pretty good about taking time away from golf. The entire December I decided to not touch a club, and it is difficult to put the clubs away,” said Green.
“I do find I want to go out there and play or practice, but I feel like mentally just making sure that I’m 100 per cent ready.
“That is something players struggle with a lot and they feel guilty for not being out there or they should be putting X amount of hours in every day.
“Throughout my career, as I get older, I’ve realised that’s probably not how I go. I feel like when I’m at the golf course, I want to make sure that… I’m not trying to be out there for the longest, I’m just trying to make everything productive.
“I think it definitely has a big reason to why I’ve been successful at the start of the year and it’s tricky to do that throughout the year. Sometimes there’s moments where you do have to practice even though you mentally don’t want to be there, and that’s just kind of what happens when you’re self-employed and you’re a professional golfer.
“Hopefully I can continue after having a little bit of a break here in Perth just recently…(and) can use that into the next stretch.”
The stakes at Riviera this week extend far beyond a major trophy.
The iconic venue is also set to host the golf tournament for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, making this week a vital scouting mission for players eyeing national selection.
Hannah Green played for Team Australia in Paris 2024. Getty
Green, who represented Australia at both Tokyo and Paris, has her sights firmly set on a third Olympic appearance.
“I think most players that have the ’28 Olympics on their mind (and) are probably thinking the same thing,” she admitted.
“See how the course performs, how they might set up things for where the village might be or where athletes will stay throughout the week.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how everything will be set up in ’28.
“I think it’ll be really cool to see the scores and having the men play, then the women always play afterwards, going out to watch them.
“I really hope to make the ’28 team. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the last two Olympics and I have been very close to getting an Olympic medal. I’m hoping I can do that one better and actually get one.
“I think any Australian is very proud to wear the green and gold. Yes, I’m very fortunate I get to play 20-odd events each week with the flag right next to my name, but when you actually get to wear the uniform, it’s a very different feeling.”
Hannah Green won four titles in the early part of 2026. Getty
With her soaring ranking to world number six and a major on the line, Green knows there will be plenty of extra eyes tracking her every move in California.
The challenge now is preventing the pressure from suffocating her natural game.
“It’s challenging in a sense that you don’t want to take it too seriously and put too much pressure on yourself and try and do all these different things because it is a big week,” Green said.
“But, it’s hard to not do that because it does feel that way when you get on site.
“So, that’s the balance that I’ve been challenged with the last few years is… making sure that I am doing all the work that I need to do, but not stressing myself out and putting too much workload before I even get started on Thursday.
“That will be something I need to manage…there’ll probably be more expectation and more eyeballs on me going into the major now with my ranking and things like that.”
The US Women’s Open is set for June 4-7.