Go the girls. Hannah Green, Ash Barty and Sally Fitzgibbons are three athletes at three very different stages of their careers. Their stories are powerful and rewarding. They have evolving tales of coming from nowhere, coming of age and trying to come good before it’s too late.
They are fierce. Fantastic. What an era for female sport in Australia. The Matildas blow it at the football World Cup, not for the lack of trying and crying, but in the next 24 hours there’s a hat-trick of whopping achievements. A golf major is won by a 22-year-old West Australian with a world ranking of 114. Heady stuff. A world number one tennis ranking is secured by a 23-year-old Queenslander who is adored by even the peers she’s towelling up. Inspiring stuff. The world number one surfing ranking is taken by a 28-year-old New South Welshwoman whose dedication to winning the year-long championship race has never known any bounds. Rousing stuff.
Let’s start with Green. She was putting like a nong during the final round at Minnesota’s Hazeltine course, hanging to the lead for the fourth straight day, scrambling home with bogeys on nine, 12 and 13 like she was on her hands and knees. One stroke ahead of Korea’s World number four Sung Hyun Park on the par-four 18th, she pulled a four-iron into a bunker. Green had an up-and-down to win a major. To be only the third Australian woman behind Jan Stephenson and Karrie Webb to do it. In the crowd was Webb, who takes two promising young players to America each year. Two years ago, it was Green. They were staying together at Minnesota, master and apprentice.
The bunker shot was decent. Now she had that most magical thing: a putt to win a major. Four feet, maybe five. Downhill. She did not putt like a nong when it mattered. Nailed it. Had beer poured on her by her support crew. But how’s this for a beautiful side note.
On her way to the eighth tee, a seven-year-old girl has held out a blue piece of paper. Lily Kostner had written a poem as a thank you for Green giving her a signed golf ball at the ANA Inspiration tournament in April. Lily had read the poem to her first-grade class at Kenny Elementary at Minneapolis, then kept it in case she crossed paths with Green at Hazeltine. How’s that for an image — a tiny seven-year-old trudging around a huge golf course to give a player a present.
The poem said: “Hannah Green! Ooo I thought what could it be? Ooo I thought there’s Hannah Green. Ooo I thought where is she going. Ooo I thought there’s a golf ball.”
Green stopped for the girl, unfolded the piece of paper and read the poem. She leaned down for a hug. Lily told Green to keep the poem and that she would win the tournament. “I had the poem in the back of my yardage book because I didn’t want it to get rained on,” she said. “I didn’t want it to get wet and ruined. A couple times on the back nine, when I was feeling nervous and had some time, I actually read it to myself. I have to thank Lily for writing that. I think it really helped me.”
Barty, eh! She’s been hitting the ball out. Of the park from day one. From the day she’s turned up at Jim Joyce’s West Brisbane Tennis Centre and been nearly turned away for being too young. Joyce said, well, you’re here now, come and have a hit. She hit her first ball over the fence. That took timing and co-ordination. Joyce said okay darling, you can keep coming back. Barty’s all-court prowess makes her the most watchable player in the world alongside Roger Federer. It’s not only Joyce who thinks she’s darling. Julia Goerges has shed tears of joy for her after losing their Birmingham final. As of that moment, Barty has been the world number one. She’s had a couple of beers and hit the road the next morning for Eastbourne, where there’s a star-studded field that includes former world number ones Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova and Caroline Wozniacki.
“I have support and love coming from all over the world. It’s been incredible the amount of support that I have received, particularly from Australians. But it’s not something that I ignore, not by any means.”
Asked recently to describe herself, Barty has replied: “I’m genuine. I mean what I say. I’m not going to beat around the bush. I’m always here for a good laugh. I’ll tell you what I think whether you like it or not.”
Fitzgibbons has won the Oi Rio Pro in Brazil to take the lead at the halfway mark of the world championship. There won’t be a dry eye in the house if she wins a world title after more than a decade of near-misses. She’s an avid sports watcher who revels in watching fellow Australian athletes competing. She’ll have been glued to the Matildas, Barty, State of Origin, Green. There’s no surfing crowd like a Brazilian surfing crowd. Tens of thousands of spectators have crammed onto the sand at Saquarema as Fitzgibbons’ win has taken her past Stephanie Gilmore in the title race.
Congratulations @Sally_Fitz, winner of the 2019 #OiRioPro and the new @Jeep leader! ðŸ†@oi_oficial pic.twitter.com/pRfQzKFxS6
— World Surf League (@wsl) June 23, 2019
She said: “It’s definitely one of those feelings where you feel so alive. The whole process. Of running down through the crowd, paddling out, it’s pretty sick when it all comes together. After all these years, it’s still special. It was unbelievable. This is insane. I just gave it everything. I just wanted to commit and everything came together.”
Asked in a recent interview how she’s going Fitzgibbons has gleefully shouted down the phone line: “Frothing! I’m fully frothing!” Her enthusiasm and dedication and motivation and optimism is boundless. In women’s sport right now, she’s not the only one.
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