CHASKA, Minn. - Hannah Green never felt more nervous than standing over a 5-foot par putt Sunday at Hazeltine National with a chance to win her first major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
Neither did Karrie Webb, who won seven majors in her Hall of Fame career.
Webb watched from outside the ropes, her heart racing. It was 11 years ago in Minnesota that Webb started a scholarship program to bring young Australian amateurs to majors to spend a week with her and experience golf's biggest events. Four years ago, Green was one of those scholarship winners.
And now she's a major champion.
Green held her nerve to the end, hitting 8-iron to 15 feet for a pivotal birdie on the 16th hole, and getting up-and-down from a bunker ono the 18th hole for an even-par 72 and a one-shot victory against defending champion Sung Hyun Park.
"I can't believe I'm in this position right now," said Green, a 22-year-old Australian in her second year on the LPGA Tour. "I've always wanted to win an event, and to win a major championship as my first is crazy."
She became the first wire-to-wire winner of this major since Yani Tseng in 2011, and even more amazing is who she held off to claim the silver trophy. She started the final round with a one-shot lead over Ariya Jutanugarn, the most powerful player on tour and a two-time major champion. Jutanugarn didn't make a birdie in her round of 77.
Then it was Park, another former No. 1 and two-time major winner, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 68 that left Green no margin for error.
Watching it all unfold was Webb, as clutch as there was in her prime, the only woman to capture the "Super Slam" of five different LPGA majors. She stayed with Green in a house all week, along with the two most recent scholarship winners - Becky Kay and Grace Kim - who were draped in Australian flags at Hazeltine.
"I feel like I won a golf tournament today I'm so excited for her," Webb said. "You didn't do it yourself, but you supported someone who realized that dream."
They all charged the 18th green to celebrate with Green, spraying her with cans of beer in true Aussie fashion. It's become a tradition on the LPGA Tour for friends to spray winners with water bottles, and Webb would not allow that to happen.
"It was Budweiser," she said.
Green, who won three times on the Symetra Tour in 2017 to earn an LPGA Tour card, became the first Australian to win an LPGA Tour major since Webb won her last one in 2006 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
"I'm speechless," Green said as she fought to get the words out through such strong emotions. "I was really nervous playing the last five holes."