Aussie Green eyes a bounce back at LPGA title defence

Hannah Green is hoping some much-needed R & R at home in Australia proves the tonic to remedy a shocking form slump at her BMW Ladies Championship title defence in Korea.

Green has arrived in Haenam with her game poles apart from this time last season, when she added a third trophy to a stellar LPGA Tour season.

The Perth ace has slipped to 19th in the world, from a career-high No.5 in April, following five missed cuts in her past six starts.

"Yeah, my golf game hasn't been quite where I would like it to be," the 28-year-old said on Wednesday.

"The last few months have been probably the most hard time I've had in my career.

"I feel like one week I putt well, and the next week I don't.

"Or one week I hit driver good and the next week I don't. It's been very challenging.

"I was back in Australia for the last three weeks, so was able to reset and was really happy to be home.

"So I think I needed that, and it's nice to be able to come to especially this event and defend. Hopefully that gives me good vibes for the tournament."

Green is joined at Pine Beach Golf Links by seven other Australians, including WA stablemate and world No.3 Minjee Lee, who won the 2023 edition of the event.

Lee is fresh off a third-place finish last week in China and remains second in the player-of-the-year race behind Thai world No.1 Jeeno Thitikul, who is missing from this week's field.

But 16 of the world's top 25 plus 20 winners from this year's LPGA Tour feature at the $US2.3 million ($A3.53 million) event, which offers a US345,000 ($A530,000) winner's purse.

The other Australians teeing up in the 78-player, no-cut tournament are 2025 major winner Grace Kim, fellow LPGA Tour stars Steph Kyriacou, Gabriela Ruffels and first-year rookies Cassie Porter, Karis Davidson and Robyn Choi.

Lee and Green will play the opening two rounds together on Thursday and Friday in a marquee trio with Korean former world No.1 Jin Young Ko, the 2021 champion.

"Last year, I played really well, and I think the thing that made me cross the line was how well I putted," Green said.

"That golf course, the wind can be tricky, when we come to Korea. It can be strong and it can be quite gusty.

"So I hit the ball pretty good and then I made a lot of putts. So that helps."