In the end, it was a triumphal march around Kingston Heath for Jiyai Shin, and for Hannah Green, a day that she will not forget in a hurry.

Shin, the relentless 36-year-old South Korean, won her second ISPS HANDA Australian Open today by two shots, adding to her 2013 Open win and penning another entry to her list of more than 60 worldwide victories.

Her love affair with Australia is sustained. “It’s true,” she said. “Even yesterday, my Dad said Australia is something special for me. My Dad said ‘bring some sand. Send it in a bottle’.”

A punched chip-in for eagle from 102 metres out of sandy lie at the par-4 fourth hole was the dagger that smote Australia’s Green, who had begun in second place, just two shots from the lead, in the final group with the Korean and defending champion Ashleigh Buhai.

The 8-iron shot pitched 20 metres short of the green, scurried up the ridge and on to the putting surface, trickled down toward the flag and barrelled in, perfectly conceived and brilliantly executed. Cue the Jiyai fist pump and a high five with her caddie. It was the shot that won the tournament. “It’s like a gift for me,” she said later.

Green admitted she was impacted. “I just felt like I didn’t have the lucky break in a sense, like when you’re not playing good you don’t get those things, and when you are playing good you get the right bounces … when she came out blazing I was obviously tough on myself and that just made the situations even worse. Because I’ve been close so many times, I wanted it even moreso this year.”

Green wanted this so much, but it all became too much – the lack of preparation, the fatigue at the end of a long season, the pressure to perform at home. Immediately after Shin’s hole-out, the Aussie failed to get up and down from the greenside trap at the fourth and the margin stretched from a manageable three to a whopping six shots.

Just like that.

“It kind of felt like I was chasing for second place,” said Green.

Shin did her best work on the front nine. At the fifth she hit a pure wedge in close and birdied again to put her seven ahead. Then at the seventh, Green melted down with a tugged tee shot and made triple bogey seven.

Suddenly, the call of home and the email switched to ‘absent’ were looming large.

Green was six-over for the day by the time she three-putted the ninth and ultimately closed with a 78 to finish tied-fourth behind Shin (17-under), Buhai (15-under) and amateur Hyojin Yang (7-under). Grace Kim finished a good year in style with a 70 to tie with Green for fourth as the equal-top Australian.

Her national Open continues to elude Green and others; none have saluted since Karrie Webb’s win in 2014.

Shin scarcely relented amid all this. At the 10th she drilled a hybrid club up close and buried the eagle putt and she was six ahead.

Buhai came closest with her brilliant closing 68 including five back-nine birdies, and when Shin bogeyed the 17th, the margin was down to two shots.

Eventually the South African had a 12-foot birdie putt at 18 that might have forced a playoff, but it lipped out. “I did think I made it,” said the 2023 and 2022 winner.

Shin had two putts for the win from five feet, and only needed one, posting a 70 and 17-under overall.

The Korean has won two majors – the AIG Women’s Open (aka British Open) in 2008 and 2012, and was world No. 1 at one point. She lost her mother in a car accident when she was 16, and had to mature beyond her years. When she quit the LPGA Tour and moved to Japan to play the tour there in 2014, it was to stay a little closer to family.

A meat pie lover, she comes to Australia to play virtually every year – this is her 10th appearance in the Open − and loves the culture. The crowds warm to her with her business-like golf and her smiling countenance.

Back in 2008 as a young pro she went shot-for-shot with Webb in a remarkable playoff at this same venue, ultimately losing but proving that a star was born. Nothing much has changed in 16 years. She is an all-time great of the sport. WHAT THEY SAID: “Like my caddie said, I had such a good year. I don’t want to really dwell on my last round of the year being here at the Aussie Open, and being in contention all week and not having a trophy. Overall I’m just really happy with how I tried to fight it out there, I was struggling hard and it probably could’ve been worse so I’m happy with the result.” - Hannah Green (tied-fourth)

“I can see my name here on the trophy, so I can put in my name, the next one. It’s so gorgeous.” - Jiyai Shin “I thought I needed some speed on it (putt on 18) to give myself a chance. I did think I made it. But I’m proud of myself today for giving it a shot and making it interesting down the stretch.” - Ashleigh Buhai (second)