A red-hot Hannah Green has returned to LA for women's golf's second major of the year with happy vibes and grand ambitions for the $US12 million US Open.
Green will spearhead a six-strong Australian assault at the famed and ritzy Riviera Country Club off the back of a so-far stellar four-win season.
The world No.5 has freshened up with a fortnight's rest at home in Perth and is raring to go in pursuit of a second career major, seven long years after her first at the 2019 Women's PGA Championship.
"I'd probably say more of a reset. I felt like the first week that I got back I was pretty tired. I didn't realise how much adrenalin I was running on for those last couple of months," Green said ahead of the first round on Thursday night (AEST).
"But it's been really nice to be home. It's been really great to see all my friends and family. Obviously I did have all this success at the start of the year, but I didn't actually get to come back home and see them.
"Now I just feel motivated to get ready for a big summer of golf in the US."
Three of Green's eight LPGA Tour victories have come in Los Angeles, including April's third LA Championship title captured on a second different course.
"It's funny. I don't know what it is about LA. There's definitely good vibes," the 29-year-old said.
"LA just feels a little bit more like home. They have really good food everywhere. I always go to an Aussie-style breakfast place before I would tee off in the afternoon.
"So just little things like that have made it really helpful. But I also have a great host family at Wilshire Country Club, even though Riviera is not the closest place to Wilshire, they're going to come out and watch me.
"It's just a really nice vibe in California. It helps that it's a little bit closer to Perth too."
As well as bracing for the customary brutal rough and generally treacherous US Open conditions, Green knows her biggest challenge will be maintaining her hot streak for the second half of 2026.
"It's going to be a real test mentally, just making sure that my expectations aren't getting too ahead of what I'm actually capable of," she said.
"I am a top-six player in the world. I want to win major championships. I want to have more tournaments on my belt.
"But sometimes when you play well, it doesn't mean you have the trophy in your hands at the end of the week. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself."
While Green is the LPGA Tour's leading money winner this year, world No.1 Nelly Korda enters the tournament with the chance to become the all-time highest American on-course earner.
New Zealand's Lydia Ko can also surpass Swedish legend Annika Sorenstam as women's golf's biggest prize money winner in history, with the equal-richest purse ever on offer this week - $A16.7 million.
With six top-two finishes from seven starts in 2026, including victory at the Chevron Championship, Korda is the hot favourite.
The 27-year-old is bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back women's major championships since Ko in 2015 and the first to complete the Chevron Championship-US Open double since Inbee Park in 2013.
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