Although she deserved the favourite tag as a major champion and highest ranked player in the field by almost 50 places from Steph Kyriacou, Green still had to beat 71 players. And during the opening stages of the final round on Sunday, it looked as if the rust she expected had finally showed up.

Bogey at the par-5 2nd and the same result at the short par-3 7th saw Green make the turn in two-over 38.

Meanwhile Whitney Hillier had managed to rediscover her game after her third round struggles, when she quickly relinquished her lead to her former amateur teammate and battled into a share of second with 18-holes to play.

Hillier made the turn Sunday in one-under after two birdies and a bogey, even though the 31-year-old hit two tee shots close to the out of bounds, her putting kept her in the hunt and only two back of Green.

Hannah Green enjoys a celebratory drink from her right adidas shoe. PHOTO: Adrian Logue.

“I felt like I hit good shots it just wasn’t perhaps the right club. That was kind of more frustrating, but ‘Whip’ (Hillier) played well and she was making putts and I wasn’t quite getting the pace, so momentums were shifting,” Green said after the round.

“It is hard not to think about what everyone else is doing. And that is what my coach Ritchie (Smith) said to me last night, just focus on my own game and try and shoot a low score.”

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Among the interested observers at 13th Beach was Green’s boyfriend and fellow Tour pro Jarryd Felton, who stated “She is making it hard on herself” on the 10th hole as he nervously watched on. Having driven it greenside at the short par-4, Green made par and then started to show her class.

The momentum swinging back Green’s way quickly, the 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA champion making birdies at the short par-3 12th and par-4 14th as Hillier made bogeys at the 11th and 12th, affording the Olympian breathing room on the back nine of the Beach Course, where she had struggled all week.

“Vic Open was my first ever professional event, it has very special memories for me coming here. This is just a steppingstone and I think it will give me some positive vibes when we do get to have our Aus Open back.” - Hannah Green.

“I knew I needed to stay patient. It was a wind direction we haven’t had in years. Everyone was going to struggle with lines and the wind direction, it is tough as it is and I knew I wasn’t playing that well on the back nine, but had opportunities,” Green, who added another birdie at the penultimate hole before a five at the par-5 last secured a 13-under total and six-shot margin of victory over Hillier and Karis Davidson.

“With the start I said to my caddie Monica (Marchesani), to get a couple of shots under par total, it was nice if that went in on the last, but I hung in there and hit some really good shots coming in.”

The win is Green’s first four round professional victory at home, added to two LPGA Tour titles and WPGA pro-ams.

Green is congratulated by some children on the 18th green. PHOTO: Adrian Logue.

“This is very close,” Green said when asked where the new piece of silverware ranked on her resume having stated a Women’s Australian Open win would be like a major a number of years ago. “Vic Open was my first ever professional event, it has very special memories for me coming here. This is just a steppingstone and I think it will give me some positive vibes when we do get to have our Aus (sic) Open back.”

It will still be a wait before Green does get a chance to finally tee it up in her home Open which hasn’t been played since 2020, but once the celebrations die down on the Bellarine Peninsula, she will head to Cobram Barooga for next week’s The Players Series event before returning to the LPGA for its Asian Swing.

First, however, she might need to find a new pair of golf shoes after enjoying a celebratory swig from her right adidas.

“Just following Dan’s (Ricciardo) example.”