SINGAPORE – With nine holes remaining, the tension was palpable across the spectator galleries.

Necks craning to catch the action on the greens, fans were kept guessing in the final round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship on March 3, with all three players in the final flight – overnight leader Ayaka Furue, Andrea Lee and Hannah Green – tied for the lead at 10 under.

At that point, they were joined by France’s Celine Boutier, who was playing one group ahead, on the same score. Celebratory roars could be heard intermittently as fans spread across the Sentosa Golf Club’s Tanjong Course to cheer on their favourite players.

But it was Australia’s Green, initially written off after dropping a shot on the 10th hole, who delivered the final hurrah for her supporters. In a miraculous recovery, the 2019 Women’s PGA Championship winner birdied four of her final seven holes, including the last three, to record an unlikely comeback victory.

In a battle that went down to the final hole, the Perth native rolled in a 27-foot birdie putt on the par-four 18th to pip Boutier (67) by one stroke, finishing on 67 for a 13-under 275. She was tied-36th after the first round following a 74 on Feb 29.

A quartet of golfers including Canadian Brooke Henderson (68) and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka (69) finished on nine-under 279, with Lee (71) a further shot behind in solo seventh.

World No. 29 Green said: “As soon as that putt went in, I was like, oh my god, I’ve won. It just all went really, really quickly.”

With her win, Green earned US$270,000 (S$363,000) and joined a list of Major champions including Karrie Webb, Park In-bee and Paula Creamer who have won the tournament. Of the last 15 editions, 13 winners have been former Major champions.

Boutier, a Major winner after claiming the 2023 Evian Championship, looked set to lift her first trophy in Singapore on March 3.

After Green bogeyed the par-four 10th, American Lee followed suit on the par-four 11th. That was when Boutier birdied the par-four 12th to seize the solo lead.

Furue briefly joined the Frenchwoman at 11 under at the par-four 14th, but bogeyed the next hole. The 54-hole leader laboured to a closing 75, ending on a double bogey for a seven-under 281 overall.

Boutier soon opened a two-shot lead with another birdie on the par-three 15th and when she eventually signed for a bogey-free 67, she was tied with Green at 12 under, with the latter at the 18th hole.

Coolly, world No. 3 Boutier walked towards the television monitor in the scoring tent and paused to see where her rival’s approach shot landed on the green. But instead of watching the drama unfold, she headed to the putting green to prepare for a potential play-off.

The deafening cheers that followed were enough for her to know who had triumphed.

Boutier said: “I was just trying to do something because I was kind of nervous and just sitting around watching wasn’t really helping. So I decided to hit some putts just to try to pass the time.”

While visibly disappointed, Boutier added: “Starting the round (three strokes back), I didn’t even know if I had a shot. So I was just trying to put myself up there, and it was great to even have a thought of making it a play-off.”

Noting that Boutier was “playing great”, Green said of her winning putt: “All I was thinking about on 18 was to two-putt. But I also did not want to have a play-off. To see the putt go in straightaway was a surprise.”

For now, Green will be heading back to Perth to spend time with her husband Jarryd Felton, whom she married in January.

She said: “You have to enjoy the sport. It can be one that doesn’t give you much success straightaway.

“There are so many hard moments in golf and these highs don’t always come.”