LPGA Tour rookie Melanie Green recorded a hole-in-one during a low-scoring opening round Thursday at the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba. Green finished the day with a 6-under 66, and in a good position heading into Friday’s round.

The highlight of the round for the 24-year-old came at the par-3 15th hole, though she admitted she didn’t actually see the ball disappear.

"I was walking up and before I started walking I was like, okay, great shot. Phenomenal. Grab the putter," Green said after the round. "Then we’re walking up, walking up and I’m looking at the green, I’m like, there is no ball."

Green initially thought she would be faced with a chip shot until her caddie, Shane, alerted her to the result.

"He walks up to the hole and he’s like, 'You made it,'" Green said. "I’m like, 'Shane, that’s not nice. It’s not in the hole. That’s not nice.' I walk up there and all I could see was the cross. I was so excited."

While this marks her first ace on the LPGA Tour, Green noted she has recorded three or four others in competitive play. She is the first rookie to card an ace on Tour since Auston Kim at the 2024 Buick LPGA Shanghai.

"I can’t say that that was a goal of mine this year, but always fun to have," Green said. "It’s more fun when you can see it go in. But that’s okay. I’ll take the one on the scorecard."

Green’s day was characterized by an aggressive front nine featuring the ace, five birdies, and a bogey, to make the turn in 30 for her first nine holes, joining Mao Saigo who accomplished this at the 2024 Maybank Championship, as the only rookies to shoot 30 or lower in an opening nine of a tournament since the start of the 2024 season.

"It was one of those days where everything is making their way in the hole," Green said. "Obviously there are birdies out there. There is going to be a lot more birdies out there from all the other girls."

Green Ace will also result in a $20,000 donation made on her behalf to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by CME Group as part of the CME Group Cares Challenge – Score 1 for St. Jude. The challenge is a season-long charitable program that turns holes-in-one into donations for childhood cancer treatment and research; Green’s ace marks the fifth contribution to St. Jude in 2026, bringing the total to $100,000.

With a handful of events on the LPGA Tour, Green is feeling more comfortable, attributing her progress to a mindset of continuous learning and her experience on the Epson Tour.

Green finished first in the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card standings to earn LPGA membership for the 2026 season. In 2025, she was named the Epson Tour Player of the Year and received Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year honors.

“It’s definitely an adjustment,” Green said. “I’ve always said there is a jump and an adjustment period moving from high school to amateur golf, then to college, the Epson Tour and finally the LPGA.

“Epson was a great learning part for me, but everything out here is much bigger,” she added. “You’re looking at more tents, more fans and longer yardages. It’s all part of the adjustment.”

Melanie Green Makes Ace in First Round of the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba

Related Articles