You have been confirmed for both the Women’s Australian Open and the WPGA Championship. What excites you most about having those opportunities at home?
Yeah, I’m super-excited. I love playing in Australia, and I don’t get to do it as much as I’d like. I’ve said before that I wish we had something similar to the LPGA here, where you could play year-round in Australia. I’ve had some really good results in Adelaide, and I haven’t played Sanctuary Cove before, so I’m looking forward to that as well - hopefully over four rounds. Playing at home is always a lot of fun. It’s nice seeing faces I don’t get to see very often and having the Aussies out there cheering.

You finished inside the top five in Adelaide in 2018. What stands out when you think back to that Australian Open and the course itself?
I remember it being a really good venue and quite tough around the greens. There was a lot of big bunkering and well-protected greens. I don’t remember the scoring exactly, but I remember Jin Young Ko being out in front for most of the week. That result was really important for me. It was my first year on the LPGA and the event was sanctioned, so I earned CME Globe points that helped me keep my tour card. It was probably my best result in Adelaide. Hopefully I can draw on those memories in a positive way. The crowds were great and the weather was kind to us - it doesn’t feel that long ago, but 2018 was a while back now. I haven’t seen the course since the renovation, but Minjee said it still looks pretty similar and in great shape. I’m really looking forward to getting back there.

What does the next month look like in terms of preparing for those Australian events?
I’ll be based in Perth for another couple of weeks and will try to play as much golf as I can at different venues. Then I’ve got tournaments in Thailand and Singapore before coming back to Perth for a week ahead of Adelaide and the Gold Coast. It’s nice to start the season with events close to home. Once I finish on the Gold Coast, I’ll head back to the U.S to play on the LPGA, so it’s great to be in Australia and hopefully get some early momentum.

Adelaide felt like something of a breakthrough moment for you early in your career. How important was that period in shaping what came next?
That was my first Australian Open as a professional. The year before, I’d played at Grange and won low amateur. That week taught me a lot about myself and what I needed to do to compete with the best players on tour. It feels like a long time ago now, but I’ve grown a lot as a person and as a player since then. Going back to Adelaide definitely brings back some good memories.

Hannah Green plays an approach shot during day four of the ISPS Handa Australian Women's Open at Kooyonga Golf Club in 2018 in Adelaide. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Was there a particular moment from that week that stayed with you - maybe the crowds or how comfortable you felt out there?
Definitely. Last year, I wasn’t really enjoying my golf and I became a bit closed off, trying to handle everything myself, even though I’ve got a really good team around me. In Adelaide, interacting with the crowd helped settle my nerves and gave me something to focus on between shots. Rounds are four or five hours long and it’s hard to stay switched on the whole time. Talking to people I knew in the crowd helped, and I’m really looking forward to seeing familiar faces again in Adelaide and on the Gold Coast.

That Australian Open was an LPGA opportunity. Now there are four LET events in Australia and a strong group of young players coming through. What would you say to them?
It’s a huge opportunity. The LET is really strong, with different winners and events all over the world, and it’s a great pathway to the LPGA. Having four events at home is massive, especially for players with partial status or coming out of Q School. A good week could change their entire season. My advice would be not to put too much pressure on themselves and to treat them like any other tournaments. It’s amazing to have four events at home, nicely spaced through the year.

You’ve spoken about how much you enjoy playing at home, but does that also bring added pressure?
Definitely. That’s why Karrie Webb is still the last Australian to have won the Australian Open. We all want our name on that trophy so badly that it can create extra pressure. We’ve had chances in recent years, and some great international players have come down as well. I do put pressure on myself internally, which is why switching off between shots and enjoying it is so important. My preparation won’t change. Hopefully I can play well in Asia and be ready for Adelaide. Every Aussie wants to win that trophy; anyone who says otherwise probably isn’t being honest.

You’re conscious of the history and the drought, though?
Yeah, absolutely. The media brings it up a lot, so you’re always aware of it. We all want to be the one whose name goes on the trophy after Karrie’s, but for me it’s about treating it like any other event and not adding unnecessary pressure.

Looking back on last year, what were the biggest lessons you took from it all?
I came back to Australia in June before the Evian feeling like my game was okay, but mentally I wasn’t in a great place and I was putting too much pressure on myself. I returned to Perth in September and had a bit of a mental reset with my team, family and friends, which really helped. I had a top-10 finish in Asia, we won as a team in Korea and I lost a playoff in Malaysia. Being back in Australia again now is definitely beneficial. Even in a tough year, you can still take something positive out of it, and hopefully this season I’m not too hard on myself if things don’t go perfectly.