The all-Aussie pairing of Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman have set their sights on Olympic gold in Tokyo after surviving a dramatic finish to claim the PGA TOUR’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans in Louisiana. West Australian Hannah Green can sense a third LPGA Tour win in her near future after posting her best result of the year at the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open in Los Angeles.

With countrymen Smith and Leishman contending in New Orleans, Green made a late push at Wilshire Country Club with the equal low round of the final day, a 5-under 66, to finish two back of Canadian Brooke Henderson in a tie for third.

Top-15 in each of her past two starts, Green’s bogey-free Sunday 66 was her 12th consecutive round under par as the 24-year-old adjusts to the extra length that she and coach, PGA Professional Ritchie Smith, have added to her arsenal.

“I actually didn't know that, so that's a nice surprise,” Green said when advised of her impressive streak of sub-par rounds.

“I guess it's known now that I hit it a little bit longer so it's made golf courses a little bit easier. Especially Wilshire there are a couple holes where I can really take advantage of it.

“It's been really nice that everything is kind of pieced together this week.”

Green harnessed her extra length to perfection by holing an eagle putt from the front-edge of the par-4 14th green and believes that new courses in Singapore and Thailand the next two weeks may prove to work in her favour.

“I feel like I'm pretty close. Nate (Blasko) and I, my caddie, have been talking about it, and we feel like we're not far off a win.

“It will be my first time in Thailand and Singapore so excited to get over there and see what can happen.

“I'm really keen about seeing a new golf course. I feel like it's kind of been harder to come back to golf courses we've played and take different lines.

“Fresh course to me might actually help me a little bit.”

Green wasn’t the only Aussie to record a top-five finish this week with Deyen Lawson tied for fifth in the first Challenge Tour event of the year and Brett Drewitt taking another important step towards a PGA TOUR card in 2022 with a tie for third at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Championship in Texas.

Entering the week 24th on the moneylist – the top 25 at season’s end automatically earn promotion to the PGA TOUR – Drewitt had five birdies and an eagle in a third round 64 to start the final round in third position and four shots off the lead.

Birdies at the two opening holes helped to bridge that gap but dropped shots at the fourth and eighth holes stalled the New South Welshman’s momentum, ultimately closing with a birdie at the 72nd hole for a 3-under 68 and projected to climb to 20th on the moneylist.

Dylan Perry’s tie for 16th at the Kansai Golf Open was the best of the Aussies who made their return to the Japan Golf Tour this week while Maverick Antcliff was the lone Australian to make the cut at the European Tour’s Gran Canaria Lopesan Open, finishing tied for 21st in a week of hot scoring in Spain.

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PGA TOUR

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana

1             Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith   63-72-63-70—268            $US1,069,300 each 33           Cameron Percy/Greg Chalmers    66-70-69-82—287            $15,466 each MC         Matt Jones/JJ Spaun        65-74—139 MC         Aaron Baddeley/Roger Sloan        64-76—140 MC         Tim Wilkinson/George McNeill    68-75—143 MC         Danny Lee/Sangmoon Bae            69-75—144 MC         Rhein Gibson/Ben Taylor               69-76—145

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LPGA Tour

Hugel-Air Premia LA Open

Wilshire Country Club, Los Angeles, California

T3           Hannah Green    68-67-69-66—270            $US88,070 T17        Gabriela Ruffels 70-67-71-71—279            $17,639 T32        Minjee Lee          70-73-69-70—282            $9,626 T54        Su Oh     66-76-74-70—286            $4,347 T65        Sarah Kemp         69-72-76-71—288            $3,185 T65        Sarah Jane Smith              71-70-70-77—288            $3,185 T73        Katherine Kirk     74-69-77-70—290            $2,849 MC         Lydia Ko               78-68—146

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European Tour

Gran Canaria, Lopesan Open

Meloneras Golf, Gran Canaria, Spain

T21 Maverick Antcliff 66-63-71-66—266 €15,242 MC Jake McLeod 66-70—136 MC Austin Bautista 69-68—137

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Japan Golf Tour

Kansai Open Golf Championship

Arima Royal Golf Club Royal Course, Hyogo

T16 Dylan Perry 68-69-69-72—278 ¥834,000 MC Matthew Griffin 70-73—143 MC Michael Hendry 74-69—143 MC Anthony Quayle 71-72—143 MC Brad Kennedy 70-75—145 MC David Bransdon 77-69—146 MC Todd Sinnott 74-74—148 MC Adam Bland 78-74—152

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Korn Ferry Tour

Veritex Championship

Texas Rangers Golf Club, Arlington, Texas

T3           Brett Drewitt      65-67-64-68—264            $US31,500 T20        Jamie Arnold       68-66-65-69—268            $6,816 T46        Nick Voke            68-67-65-73—273            $2,641 MC         Harrison Endycott            65-72—137 MC         Ryan Ruffels       72-70—142 MC         John Senden       70-76—146

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Challenge Tour

Limpopo Championship

Euphoria GC, Modimolle, South Africa

T5           Deyen Lawson    69-74-72-67—282            €4,580

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Symetra Tour

Copper Rock Championship

Copper Rock Golf Course, Hurricane, Utah

T60        Julienne Soo       77-70-79—226   $US701 MC         Stephanie Na      76-73—149 MC         Robyn Choi         79-77—156

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