This one was a no-brainer.  Ken Green, a 5-time winner on the PGA Tour, who lost the lower half of his right leg in a tragic RV accident last June and recovered enough to return to the Champions Tour this summer, has been named as the winner of the 2010 Chelsea Cohen Courage Award by the Fairfield County Sports Commission.  The former Danbury resident will accept the award at the commission’s 6th annual “Sports Night” banquet at the Greenwich Hyatt on Oct. 18, it was announced Friday by executive director Tom Chiappetta.

“I told Tom I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I will be back in October,” Green said by phone as he headed to Orlando, Fla., to be fitted for a new, smaller prosthetic. “I’m honored. I get goose pimples just thinking about it.”

Coming back from a Tour event in Texas, Green’s RV blew a tire in Mississippi, rolled down an embankment and crashed into a tree. Green’s brother Billy, his girlfriend Jeannie Hodgin and his dog, Nip, were all killed. Green suffered a serious head injury as well as having his right leg amputated just below the knee.  Determined to honor Billy, Jeannie and Nip’s memory, Green vowed to play professional golf again. And in April, he paired up with Mike Reid and played in the Champions Tour Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament. A month later, Green played in his first individual Champions Tour tournament, the Regions Charity Classic, shooting rounds of 74-76-75, and amazingly, finishing ahead of 3 other players in the field.  Recently, he competed in the State Open at the Country Club of Fairfield, shooting a 2-over 74 in the first round but was forced to withdraw due to pain in his amputated leg.

Just about a month ago, Green underwent a procedure called a “kryoblast” where the nerve endings in the stump are frozen but it could take up to 6 weeks to determine if it worked. “I talked to a pain doctor and he said I have to relate to a car battery. It’s trying to work but it’s slowly dying, so it’s going to keep fighting,” Green said. “Maybe that’s what’s going to happen (it’ll work and the pain will stop) or it’s going to win the battle and continue on.”

But in the meantime, Green continues his comeback fight.  Just like Cohen — who was a standout girls soccer player at Norwalk High — did when she was first diagnosed with sarcoma cancer in 2004. For two years, she underwent radiation and radical chemotherapy treatments, constantly fighting to get healthy before passing away on Aug. 2, 2006.

“I know a little of what happened. From what I heard she was a wonderful, young girl and fought the fight with a smile and courage herself,” Green said of Cohen. “To be honored is a wonderful thing. Obviously, what I’ve gone through, it’s been a rough road. As her parents can relate, losing a child is the worst of the worst and I’ve lost obviously more and fighting the battle with the leg but it does me wonderful inside knowing that people care and say, `Hey, Ken Green is really fighting the fight.’ I respect that immensely.”

*end*

http://www.ctpost.com/othersports/article/Green-earns-Sports-Commission-s-Courage-Award-624159.php

8-21-10: “Green Looks Deep Inside as He Continues Golf Comeback”

By Chris Elsberry, CTPost.com

It was the best of times and the worst of times. One day, Ken Green was feeling that he had turned the corner as far as the pain in his amputated right leg was concerned. He had compared the pain to sticking your finger into a light socket and having to endure that agonizing feeling for hours, not just seconds.  A couple of weeks ago, it briefly looked as though that pain might be ending. Green played a round of golf at his home course in West Palm Beach, Fla., the Breakers, and shot 66, the lowest round he’s played since his comeback to the Champions Tour began back in April. . .

FULL ARTICLE:

http://www.ctpost.com/sports/article/ELSBERRY-Green-looks-deep-inside-as-he-continues-624914.php

8-24-10: “No Quick Return For Green After All”

By Bruce Berlet, CTGolfer.com

Turns out the optimism early Monday won’t be coming to fruition for Danbury native Ken Green. Kenny had hoped to receive a sponsor’s exemption to the Champions Tour’s Hospice First Tee Open at his favorite course, Pebble Beach, and play competitively in 2 weeks for the first time since having to WD after the first round of the Connecticut Open because of excessive pain in his right leg, the lower part of which was amputated 14 months ago after a horrific RV accident that killed his brother, girlfriend and dog.

FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.ctgolfer.com/blogs/bruce_berlet

5-7-10: “Ken Green Is Scheduled To Play in Connecticut Open July 26-28”
By Tom Yantz, The Hartford Courant
The CSGA just announced in a press release that Ken Green, a native of Danbury, will play in the Connecticut Open July 26-28 at the Country Club of Fairfield. Green, who currently is playing with a lower right leg prosthesis, won the championship in 1985 and ‘92. The CSGA also overwhelmingly agreed to grant him a medical exemption to use a cart for this year’s Connecticut Open.
http://blogs.courant.com/chip_shots/2010/05/ken-green-is-scheduled-to-play.html

CSGA link:
76th Connecticut Open Championship
July 26-28 2010, Country Club of Fairfield
http://www.csgalinks.org/tournaments/2010/Open/76th_Open.asp

= = = = = = = = = = = = = GREAT ARTICLE – with VIDEO & PHOTO GALLERY!!!
7-26-10: “Golfer Ken Green Plays Through The Pain”
By Tom Yantz, The Hartford Courant, *Includes VIDEO*
http://www.courant.com/sports/golf/hc-ken-green-connecticut-open-0727-20100726,0,3290440.story

FAIRFIELD, Ken Green stopped in the middle of his backswing Monday on the third tee at the Country Club of Fairfield. He bent over at the waist and grimaced.

“The best way I can describe this nerve pain to someone who is not an amputee is to think about sticking a finger in a socket,” said Green, who wears a lower right leg prosthesis. “It’s a quick electric shock. Well, mine is 5 minutes, 10 or one hour. I can’t tell you how bad. I sit there sometimes and just cry.”

Green’s pain was at a somewhat tolerable level in the first round of the Connecticut Open.  A 5-time winner on the PGA Tour, Green shot a 4-over-par 74 and is tied for 49th. He beat more than 70 able-bodied players.

“I’m encouraged,” said Green, 52, a Danbury native who won Connecticut Open in 1985 and ‘92.

PHOTO GALLERY: “Pictures: Ken Green Through The Years” (Hartford Courant)
http://www.courant.com/sports/golf/hc-ken-green-pg,0,1474046.photogallery

The pain in his amputated leg can strike at any time — on the golf course, in his living room, anywhere. At least four times Monday, the pain appeared to be severe.  But he never retreated. On the third hole (his 12th after starting at No. 10), he gathered himself, took the driver back and hit his tee shot down the middle of the fairway.

Green played with 3-time champion Kyle Gallo, the 1st-round leader after a 65, and Steve Sokol, the 2003 champion.  “I was amazed at some of the shots Ken hit,” Gallo said. “I mean, for someone with two legs they were tough shots and he made them.”

Green has had nerve complications in his right leg since an SUV accident in Mississippi last June, when he was on his way to a Champions Tour event. The crash killed his brother, girlfriend and dog.  In January, his son Hunter was found dead in his dormitory room at Southern Methodist University. An autopsy revealed an accidental drug overdose.

“The game is so hard,” Gallo said. “But to see him come out here …He has got to be in pain. Not only what he has gone through, but also just playing. ”

Green, who lives in West Palm Beach, Fla., was in good spirits during most of the round and hit many quality shots. He missed three eight-foot birdie putts on his first nine holes but seldom missed the fairway with his driver.

His one birdie came at the par-5 first, where he made a 4-foot putt.

Green and caddie Greg Belger of Danbury rode in an electric cart. Green had been granted permission to use the cart because of his medical condition upon his request to the Connecticut State Golf Association a few months ago.  He didn’t know he was going to play until Sunday, when he said he took 5 practice swings at a friend’s house in Danbury. He said he’d do “everything I could to play in the Open.”

Green played in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, a Champions Tour event June 25-27 in Endicott, N.Y., but had to withdraw after rounds of 78 and 74.  “Too much pain,” he said Monday. “I’ve only played parts of 2 rounds since.”

Last week, he underwent one medical procedure in Mount Kisco, N.Y., and another in Danbury in an attempt to free him of his pain.  “They stuck me with something — I call it Freon, minus 100 degrees — in my leg to try to kill one nerve that has curled up,” he said. “They stuck me with two big needles.”  He held his hands 6 inches apart.  He said if this procedure doesn’t work within the next two weeks, the next option is to “slice me open and cut it out.”

Green doesn’t wallow in pity or misery.  “I haven’t played here in 20 or so years,” Green said before the round, looking out over the majestic view of the links-style course with Long Island Sound as a backdrop. “It’s breathtaking.”  After the round, he said, “Being out here and just playing is just an automatic high.”

Green, Gallo and Sokol are scheduled to tee off at 8:10 this morning at the first tee. The top 40 players and ties today advance to the final round of the 54-hole tournament Wednesday.  Green hopes to least play today.  “The odds of me playing 3 days in a row are slim,” he said because of the anticipated pain. “I go one day at a time. For me, it’s one hour at a time.”

Gallo said he was inspired every minute he played with Green on Monday.  “His score doesn’t matter,” Gallo said. “I told him you’re my hero.”  Gallo bowed his head for a few seconds and said, “I’ll remember this day and playing with him for the rest of my life.”

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
For example, HERE’s ANOTHER Great Article, with VIDEO of KG Tee-shot:
7-27-10: “Course a peaceful respite for Green (video)”
By Dave Solomon, New Haven Register
http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/07/27/sports/0072710_solomon_on_ken_green072710.txt

= = = = = = = = = = = = = =KG Shoots 74 in Rnd1 – Pain force WD…

7-27-10: “Green Plays Through Pain, But For How Long?”
((( Great article - includes Photo Galley of 5 pictures of KG playing CT-Open)))
By Chris Elsberry, CT-Post Sports Writer
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/ELSBERRY-Green-plays-through-pain-but-for-how-591554.php

FAIRFIELD CT: The only way Ken Green could try and describe it was like taking your finger and sticking it into a light socket. That instant stab of pain as the shock of the electricity surges up your arm. That one second of pure agony before your brain sends an emergency signal and you pull your finger out.  Only Green can’t pull his finger out when the pain gets to be too much. This pain is in his leg, an amputated stump of a leg, and when it starts, all Green can do is try to bear it as best he can.

And there were many days, early on, when Green gritted his teeth and did his best to shut that pain out of his mind. Playing golf again, that was the driving force. He needed to get back on the course again. Not just for himself but for his brother Billy, his girlfriend Jeannie and his dog Nip. It’s been just over a year since they died in that RV accident that took the lower half of Green’s right leg and that pain in his leg is a constant reminder of their lost lives.

And he has been back on the course again. Playing the Champions Tour. It has been an amazing story, an incredible tale of determination and despair. Of tragedy and triumph. Only Green knows just how horrible it all has been.

Stick your finger into a light socket, he says. Then magnify that by a thousand.

“You know how you get that electric shock for a second, this is like having that or five to 10 minutes at a time up to an hour. It’s just kills you,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many times I just sit there and cry. It’s awful.”

As Green sat in the open hatchback of his SUV early Monday afternoon, tears welled in his eyes. It still hurts to talk about how bad the pain is. He was in the parking lot at the Country Club of Fairfield, preparing to play in the 76th Connecticut Open. He survived the first day, shooting a respectable 4-over 74. But he isn’t sure if he’ll be back for the second round today.

That all depends on the pain.

“I just don’t know,” he said. “The leg will go nuts tonight if it follows the same pattern that it’s been doing. I’m certainly going to try (and play). I just have to wait, there’s no other way I can figure it out.”

Just over a week ago, Green had two separate procedures done to try and freeze the nerves in the stump of his amputated right leg. It’s called a cryoblast and if it’s successful, it could mean a lot less pain for Green.

“If it’s successful and I don’t have the pain then I can go see if I can be normal, whereas previously, every other minute was a mystery as to what I could do,” he said. “At least now, if it works and I have no pain then I can go see, `Can I play golf again?’. Plus, to be pain free … ”

Green closed his eyes, paused and took a deep breath, obviously thinking of what that might be like.

“Every day, the pain is a nightmare. It wears you down mentally. Someone told me, when you’re tortured enough, you will eventually crack. That’s what this is doing. It’s slowly wearing me down. It’s amazing how it drains your energy because there’s only so much pain the body can take.”

And Green is getting closer to the point where playing competitive golf again is not nearly as important as ending the pain.

“Quite frankly, that’s my main goal right now, to get rid of the pain,” Green said. “It used to be `I want to play golf again’ but I’ve gotten to the point where I just want the pain gone. I never thought I’d say this but if someone told me you could either get rid of the pain but not play golf I would say fine. It’s just worn me down too much.”

So just over a week ago, Green went to Mt. Kisko (N.Y.) Hospital and had the first cryoblast procedure. Then a few days later at Danbury Hospital, he had a second. Doctors injected several needles into the stump with a substance chilled down to minus-100 degrees, which deaden and freeze the nerves, hopefully eliminating the pain.

If the procedure works, that is.

“It’s pot luck. I don’t know if it will help. It could be days, it could be two or three weeks before I know,” he said. “But it was something that had to get done.”

Coming back to the Connecticut Open was also something that Green — a two-time winner in 1985 and 1992 — had to do.

“I debated what I was going to do. Clearly, I’m not even close to being physically able to … because the procedure still needs a few more days. But it’s that love, telling you to go do it,” he said. “It’s good news, bad news. I’m glad to see everyone again but then there’s that part of me that says, `Should you be here?’ Are you doing the right thing?  For a person who didn’t really care a whole lot about necessarily what other people thought, I seem to be leery of it now because everyone’s told me not to worry. It doesn’t matter what you shoot because you’re out there fighting. I’ve got to get it through my brain that I’m not hurting golf or me or anything by doing this.”

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 
7-27-10: “Ken Green withdraws from Connecticut Open”
By Danbury News-Times Staff
http://www.newstimes.com/othersports/article/Ken-Green-withdraws-from-Connecticut-Open-592318.php

Citing unbearable pain in his amputated leg, Ken Green withdrew from the 76th Connecticut Open Tuesday morning.  The Danbury native, who was making his first appearance at the tournament since the car accident that took the lower half of his right leg, had just shot a first-round 74, better than half the field.

But Green said he played through excruciating pain from his leg, which had gone through two procedures last week in an attempt to freeze the nerves at the stump, and doubted if he’d continue.

By Tuesday morning it was clear he couldn’t continue.

“The pain was too much. It was unfortunately just too much for me to handle,” Green said Tuesday afternoon. “I wasn’t able to get up and move around. The leg just went nuts and it was too hard to even put the prosthetic on.”

Late Monday night, Green informed CSGA Director Malcom McLachlan via text message that if he wasn’t at the Country Club of Fairfield by 7:30am, he wouldn’t be playing the 2nd round.  Green did not appear for his 8:10 a.m. start with leader Kyle Gallo and Steve Sokol, who proceeded as a twosome.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
7-27-10: “Ken Green WDs from CT Open; Gallo extends lead”
By Bruce Berlet, CTGolfer.com
Great news Monday. Sad news Tuesday.  Danbury native Ken Green had to withdraw from the CT Open because of pain in his right leg, which was amputated from the knee down after a horrific RV accident about 14 months ago that claimed the lives of his girlfriend, brother and dog.  “The pain was too much,” Green said when reached where he’s staying in Danbury. “It was unfortunately too much to handle. I wasn’t able to get up and move around. The nerve endings went ballistic (Monday) night, and my leg swelled up so bad (Tuesday) morning that I couldn’t get my prothesic on.“  Despite missing several makeable putts Monday, Green shot a 4-over-par 74 in the first round at the CC Fairfield and was tied for 49th. The low 40 and ties after Tuesday’s second round advance to the final 18 holes Wednesday.

But Green, a 2-time winner who was low pro in another State Open, grimaced several times after shots, indicating just how much pain he was in despite two special treatments last week to try to freeze nerves in his leg.  “I guess it was too much too soon after the treatments, but that’s my world now,” Green said. “I played (Monday) because I wanted to play. Connecticut and the Connecticut Open have always meant so much to me, so I really wanted to give it a try.  But now I have to get healthy. If the treatments work, I can get back to playing again this year. But the pain is wearing me down. I’ve got to get better, then golf will be easy.”

Green plans to return to his home in West Palm Beach, Fla., in a week, then return to Connecticut in Sept. & October.  Green was scheduled to start at 8:10am on the 1st tee with leader Kyle Gallo and 2003 champ Steve Sokol.

http://www.ctgolfer.com/blogs/bruce_berlet/2010/07/ken-green-wds-from-connecticut-open.html
Bruce Berlet’s Blog: http://www.ctgolfer.com/blogs/bruce_berlet 

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
7-28-10: “More frustration for Ken Green after his WD at CT Open”
http://fromtherough.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/more-heartache-for-ken-green-after-his-wd-at-ct-open

Like most, I tend to root for the underdog in certain sports situations. Ken Green would definitely qualify as an underdog worth rooting for — when he has the energy to play in a golf tournament. Most golf fans know Green’s story, and how he recently made a comeback to the sport after a horrific RV accident that saw him lose some of the most important people in his life, as well as part of his right leg.

It’s hard not to want to see Green shine once more. After a couple of struggles with his game and the searing pain of having to get around a golf course with his prosthetic leg, Green hit his biggest rough patch in his comeback this past week, when he had to withdraw from the Connecticut Open.

As Tom Yantz of the Hartford Courant noted in his article, Green just couldn’t handle the pain in his right leg during the event, forcing him to withdraw after firing a 4-over-par 74 in the opening round.

“It was just too much for me to handle,” Green said during a phone interview with Yantz. “I just wasn’t able to get up and move around. The leg just went nuts, and it was too hard to even put the prosthetic on.”  Even though the pain has become unbearable at times, that hasn’t kept Green from holding out hope for a return to the course later this year.

“My hope is to play again [this year], but I’m not real confident it’ll happen. Hopefully, the procedure [to freeze a nerve in his leg] worked, and then we’ll have to continue on.  I have to get rid of the pain, and then we can go fight the battle and play golf at the level that I want to play. My belief and my hope is that I can. And I’m going to go with that belief until I’m proven otherwise.”

= = = = = = =
7-28-10: “Green withdraws from Connecticut Open”
FAIRFIELD Ken Green withdrew before the second round of the Connecticut Open because his right leg swelled up overnight, and he was unable to walk, let alone play golf.

I had the privilege and I mean that sincerely of walking with KG during round 2 at Endicott. I am writing this with tears of frustration in my eyes because I have just learned that Ken had to withdraw and not play the 3rd round. Pass this on to all – our man is going to make it. There is zero doubt on this point. Let me give you a synopsis of what I saw.

For anyone who has not been to the BC Open or to the Dick’s Sporting Goods events – they are precious. They are conducted on a well groomed course that was built in the 20’s for the employees of the Endicott-Johnson Company.  Gently rolling and listed at 6,975, the course plays every bit of that with the added attraction of tree lined fairways and multiple ponds that come into play. The people are thrilled to have the Champions Tour and thank everyone for attending. Parking next to the course is $5 as is a Grilled Chicken Spiedie that is tasty and does not lack in the chicken department. How can a fan go wrong?

After his frustrating round one, which he described to me as being off by inches, not feet, KG had a sleepless night because of the electric pain that simply will not subside. When I saw him on the putting green before the round, his face was beet red and he looked exhausted. So much so that I blurted out, “What’s with you?” He explained that he slept 5 minutes all night and was going to try to figure out how to get it done in the 20 minutes that he had left til tee time. At first his putting was very shaky. But he was determined and just before he picked ‘em up to head for the tee, he seemed to have the stroke under control. He introduced me to Jamie & Joe, 2 members with whom he had played in the Pro-Am on Wednesday. They were now Ken Green disciples. They loved the man.

The first thing that was obvious was the KG has progressed from those initial 230 yard drives, when he first got back to playing, to serious 275 yard (on level holes) boomers that kept him in position on most holes. The fairways were narrow. He hit only one tee-ball that missed the fairway on the fly – and that one not by a lot. He did continue to suffer the “2 inch” curse in that a few balls ran, after hitting well on the fairway, into the 2nd cut literally by 2 inches. But just enough to make the 2nd shot one that was difficult to control out of the rough. So his drives were definitely in the “Good” category  for distance & placement. When he needed to turn it over to get a little more length, he did so.

The irons were more of a problem. He has trouble hitting down on the ball as much as the other pros which results in balls that run out too much. He was past the pin more frequently than not, again suffering from the “2 inch” curse in that the ball would run through the 4 foot collar and end up 2 inches into the heavy stuff that surrounded the collar. Again that made it tough to knock it in if he was close or control the distance if he was not. The lack of spin also put him at the mercy of the slopes of the green in that the ball would land where it was supposed to and instead of taking one hop and then stopping it would trickle off to the side or back to the front, again ending up just 2 inches into the heavy rough despite hitting within a short distance of the pin. This problem was the cause of 2 of the 3 bogeys on his 1st nine. On the 3rd one, he was blocked by a large tree on a very short par 4 dogleg right. He flew the tree but missed the green by 3 feet and was thrown down an embankment on the short side.

As the round progressed, he got more and more confident with the flat stick. At first he was blowing the ball by the hole 4-5 feet. Mercifully he was making the comebackers which clearly gave him confidence both on the green and for the rest of his game. No lip outs, but several putts which scared the hole and just slid by. On the back side with the poa greens growing as they do, he left 2 birdie attempts 2 or 3 inches short dead on line. So the putting is in the “he knows that this is one of his strengths” category.

What was inspirational was his intestinal fortitude. At least 3 times he stopped in mid-swing (a la Tiger) because he got zapped by a thunderbolt of pain. He walked away, regrouped and hit an excellent shot each time. The fans were extremely appreciative. They gave him a warm round of applause no matter what he did. On the 9th and the 18th, where all the tents and boxes surrounded the green he got well deserved ovations.

The man is on the cusp of scoring the way he wants to. If he can find the cause of the multiple electrocutions that he has to suffer during each round, he will be able to work on his game, particularly when the ball is well below his feet or when he has an awkward stance, so that he can overcome the bad bounces that inevitably occur when you play this crazy game. His 1-under on the longer front side (which was his back side as he started on 10) despite being fall-down tired and in obvious pain made one proud to be a Ken Green supporter. The good humor with which he answered questions posed by the gallery and his patience in giving autographs until the last person who wanted one, left everyone with smiles. Sadly today he could not overcome the pain. I am positive that he will find the medical answer and then perform at a level that will make us all proud. I remind myself that this very week just 1 year ago, I was with Ken in the University of Mississippi Medical Center, calling for a refill the moment his morphine drip ran out. I watched as the doctor removed glass from his eyelid 3.5 weeks after the accident because he was in such pain that it was only then that he felt it. At that point he did not even know the extent of the damage to his left ankle because the right leg screamed day and night. So to be competing at the highest level just 1 year later is a testament to his will, his love of the game, his willingness to put up with mind-numbing pain to do what he was born to do.

KEN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT. You are on a new journey in your life that I and all your friends are humbled to share with you. We salute you.

With admiration and love,
Jacksan

FRIDAY, ROUND1, JUNE 25 2010:
KG off at 11:53am tomorrow (Friday) at Dick’s Open, Endicott NY
11:42am James Mason, Jim Colbert, Jim Dent
11:53am Ken Green, Gene Jones, Bill Glasson
12:04pm Tommy Armour III, Ronnie Black, Craig Stadler

…while buddy Mark Calcavecchia makes his Champions Tour debut!!
http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/s008/06/24/calcavecchia-debut/index.html
…Mark goes off at 1:32pm with John Cook and Fred Funk.

Go Ken & Mark – - Battle it out for The WIN!

Follow the Dick’s Open here:  http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/s008

ROUND1 FRIDAY JUNE25:

“Green struggles with 78 in Round1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Open”
June 25, 2010 4:15pm by Chris Elsberry, CT-News
It started so well. A bogey at 2 and a birdie at 12 and heading to 13, Danbury’s Ken Green was at even-par and playing well in the opening round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open Friday in Endicott, N.Y.
Sadly, after that, the wheels fell off.
Green double bogeyed 13 and then bogeyed 15, 16, 17 and 18 to finish with a 78 — shooting a 40 on the back nine.
Hopefully, it was just some poor shots and not leg pain from the prosthetic that had Green struggling on the back side.
http://blog.ctnews.com/travelers/2010/06/25/green-stuggles-at-dicks-sporting-goods-open

KG’s COMMENTS ABOUT ROUND1 FROM HIS BLOG#65:
Dick’s Round One,
I am trying to swallow my anger pills 5 hours later.  I still have immense anger and frustration from day1 at Dick’s at En-Joie. To be this angry 5 hours later is actually a good sign that my competitor juices are still intact.  After chipping in on #12 to get back to even par, I managed to play my last 6 holes in 6 over. It sounds strange but I actually did not hit it that bad. I putted the ball like a hippo on Valium. I have to relax and not try so hard on my putts. The old “the harder you try the worse you putt theory” was in full bloom!  I have one small correction to make in the swing and if I can accomplish that along with just relaxing on the greens, I still believe I can shoot under par one of the last 2 rounds. So this hippo must take a warm bath and relax for tomorrow is a new battle.
I will keep you posted, be good and take care.
Ken

SATURDAY, ROUND2, JUNE 26 2010:
11:35am Ken Green, Ted, Schulz, Jim Dent
“Ken Green rebounds with 74 in Round2 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Open”
June 26, 2010 4:16pm by Chris Elsberry, CT News
Never count a fighter out. After a disappointing 78 in Friday’s first round of the Champions Tour Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, Danbury’s Ken Green rebounded with a solid 2-over 74 that included a 1-under 36 on the first nine (Green’s second nine of the day).  Starting on the back nine, Green opened with 4 pars before bogeys at 14, 17 and 18 saw him make the turn at 3-over 38. But he rallied with 8 pars and a lone bird at 5 that put him at 8-over for the tournament heading into Sunday’s final round.
http://blog.ctnews.com/travelers/2010/06/26/ken-green-rebounds-with-74-at-dicks-sporting-goods-open

- – - – - – - – - – - -
Friend Jack Garamella on KG’s Rnd2 74 at Dick’s/Endicott
From: Jack Garamella  Sunday, June 27, 2010 1:38PM
Subj: Ken’s 2^nd Round at Endicott

I had the privilege and I mean that sincerely of walking with KG during round 2 at Endicott. I am writing this with tears of frustration in my eyes because I have just learned that Ken had to withdraw and not play the 3rd round. Pass this on to all – our man is going to make it. There is zero doubt on this point. Let me give you a synopsis of what I saw.

For anyone who has not been to the BC Open or to the Dick’s Sporting Goods events – they are precious. They are conducted on a well groomed course that was built in the 20’s for the employees of the Endicott-Johnson Company.  Gently rolling and listed at 6,975, the course plays every bit of that with the added attraction of tree lined fairways and multiple ponds that come into play. The people are thrilled to have the Champions Tour and thank everyone for attending. Parking next to the course is $5 as is a Grilled Chicken Spiedie that is tasty and does not lack in the chicken department. How can a fan go wrong?

After his frustrating round one, which he described to me as being off by inches, not feet, KG had a sleepless night because of the electric pain that simply will not subside. When I saw him on the putting green before the round, his face was beet red and he looked exhausted. So much so that I blurted out, “What’s with you?” He explained that he slept 5 minutes all night and was going to try to figure out how to get it done in the 20 minutes that he had left til tee time. At first his putting was very shaky. But he was determined and just before he picked ‘em up to head for the tee, he seemed to have the stroke under control. He introduced me to Jamie & Joe, 2 members with whom he had played in the Pro-Am on Wednesday. They were now Ken Green disciples. They loved the man.

The first thing that was obvious was the KG has progressed from those initial 230 yard drives, when he first got back to playing, to serious 275 yard (on level holes) boomers that kept him in position on most holes. The fairways were narrow. He hit only one tee-ball that missed the fairway on the fly – and that one not by a lot. He did continue to suffer the “2 inch” curse in that a few balls ran, after hitting well on the fairway, into the 2nd cut literally by 2 inches. But just enough to make the 2nd shot one that was difficult to control out of the rough. So his drives were definitely in the “Good” category  for distance & placement. When he needed to turn it over to get a little more length, he did so.

The irons were more of a problem. He has trouble hitting down on the ball as much as the other pros which results in balls that run out too much. He was past the pin more frequently than not, again suffering from the “2 inch” curse in that the ball would run through the 4 foot collar and end up 2 inches into the heavy stuff that surrounded the collar. Again that made it tough to knock it in if he was close or control the distance if he was not. The lack of spin also put him at the mercy of the slopes of the green in that the ball would land where it was supposed to and instead of taking one hop and then stopping it would trickle off to the side or back to the front, again ending up just 2 inches into the heavy rough despite hitting within a short distance of the pin. This problem was the cause of 2 of the 3 bogeys on his 1st nine. On the 3rd one, he was blocked by a large tree on a very short par 4 dogleg right. He flew the tree but missed the green by 3 feet and was thrown down an embankment on the short side.

As the round progressed, he got more and more confident with the flat stick. At first he was blowing the ball by the hole 4-5 feet. Mercifully he was making the comebackers which clearly gave him confidence both on the green and for the rest of his game. No lip outs, but several putts which scared the hole and just slid by. On the back side with the poa greens growing as they do, he left 2 birdie attempts 2 or 3 inches short dead on line. So the putting is in the “he knows that this is one of his strengths” category.

What was inspirational was his intestinal fortitude. At least 3 times he stopped in mid-swing (a la Tiger) because he got zapped by a thunderbolt of pain. He walked away, regrouped and hit an excellent shot each time. The fans were extremely appreciative. They gave him a warm round of applause no matter what he did. On the 9th and the 18th, where all the tents and boxes surrounded the green he got well deserved ovations.

The man is on the cusp of scoring the way he wants to. If he can find the cause of the multiple electrocutions that he has to suffer during each round, he will be able to work on his game, particularly when the ball is well below his feet or when he has an awkward stance, so that he can overcome the bad bounces that inevitably occur when you play this crazy game. His 1-under on the longer front side (which was his back side as he started on 10) despite being fall-down tired and in obvious pain made one proud to be a Ken Green supporter. The good humor with which he answered questions posed by the gallery and his patience in giving autographs until the last person who wanted one, left everyone with smiles. Sadly today he could not overcome the pain. I am positive that he will find the medical answer and then perform at a level that will make us all proud. I remind myself that this very week just 1 year ago, I was with Ken in the University of Mississippi Medical Center, calling for a refill the moment his morphine drip ran out. I watched as the doctor removed glass from his eyelid 3.5 weeks after the accident because he was in such pain that it was only then that he felt it. At that point he did not even know the extent of the damage to his left ankle because the right leg screamed day and night. So to be competing at the highest level just 1 year later is a testament to his will, his love of the game, his willingness to put up with mind-numbing pain to do what he was born to do.

KEN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT. You are on a new journey in your life that I and all your friends are humbled to share with you. We salute you.

With admiration and love,
Jacksan

SUNDAY, ROUND3, JUNE 27 2010:
11:25am Bob Ford, Ken Green  => “Ken Green, who shot a 2-over 74 on Saturday as he adjusts to the game wearing a prosthetic device on his lower right leg, withdrew Sunday morning because of pain and said he would not play next week in Montreal.”
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KG’s Blog Post #66 – 6/27/10 4:49pm (nerve pain too much)

My 2nd round, 74, was  so very close to breaking par. A few bad breaks, lies, and a not so good putter, c0st me the goal of going under par.  I was eagerly awaiting the 3rd round as I really thought I could go under par.

However, my friend, mister nerves struck pretty hard throughout the night. This was the 2nd. night in a row, that I had to fight my “friend”. Upon waking this morning, I realized that the body had had too much.  I was convinced by friends not to play today.

I do believe it was the right decision. Sadly I will not be going to Montreal; instead it is my hope that I will be seeing a neurologist this week. Reality has struck, and I know that until we solve this dilemma, I will never know whether I can become a professional golfer again. The inability to do things on a daily basis that you have to do to improve your game, just aren’t being done at the moment. So, with that said it is time for me to jump ship from competitive golf until my nerve problems are resolved.

My pride and competitive spirit, just do not want to handle the playing for show, disabled rights and the spirit of golf. I don’t want to be held responsible for anything I say in this moment as I am writing this with sadness and tears, so I may not be of sound mind.

I will certainly keep you posted as of what happens when I see the new neurologist. Please remember there WERE people that survived the Titanic and the RV. I will fight on.

Be good and be well,
Ken

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ARTICLES:
6-23-10: “Dick’s Open features Historical Comeback Story: Ken Green”
VIDEO report by Mark Larson, Syracuse YNN News
“This week’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open features one of the greatest comeback stories in the history of sports. One year after losing part of his leg in an RV accident. Ken Green is going for the greens again and as Mark Larson found out he’s savoring every step along the way.”
DON’T MISS: 2:12 VIDEO – KG PLAYING PRACTICE ROUND WITH CALC AT EN-JOIE!! 
http://centralny.ynn.com/content/sports/sports_news/508910/dick-s-open-features-historical-comeback-story

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6-24-10 (Golf.com): “Calcavecchia Ready for Champions Tour Debut”
http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1999470,00.html

ENDICOTT, N.Y. (AP) — Mark Calcavecchia remembers the good old days, when he was a threat to win almost every time out on the PGA Tour. . .

. . .When play begins, all eyes are likely to be trained on Ken Green, who will be making just his second start in a stroke-play event since a tragic crash a year ago. 

Last June, after playing a tournament in Texas, Green’s RV blew a tire on a Mississippi highway and careened into an oak tree. His girlfriend and brother were killed in the crash, as was Nip, his beloved German shepherd.  Green opted to have his lower right leg amputated a week later and replaced with a prosthetic because it was his only hope of playing golf again.  Then another setback. In January, Green’s son was found dead in his college dorm room.

Green persevered and made his return to the game at the Legends of Golf, a 2-man team event in April. He followed that by playing the Regions Charity Classic in mid-May at Ross Bridge, the longest course on the Champions Tour, and finished 73rd in the 77-player field.

Lonnie Nielsen (2009 winnder of Dick’s Open) marvels at Green’s grit. “He’s an inspiration for everybody. I can’t imagine even getting out of bed with what he’s had to go through,” Nielsen said. “I saw him walking up the steps after he played at the Legends, and it was all he could do. If there wouldn’t have been a railing, there was no chance he could have gotten into that clubhouse. I know how much pain he’s in. You can just tell it by watching him walk around, but he’s gone out and played some pretty respectable golf.”

The En-Joie Golf Club course is a 7,034-yard layout with narrow fairways and short par-5s. It should be easier for Green to traverse. “I think he was a little worried at first that he wasn’t going to be competitive,” tournament director John Karedes said. “But the other players made him feel right at home. This is a course that’s flat, isn’t the longest. I think Ken will be able to play well. I certainly hope so.”

KG’s Blog Post #66 – 6/27/10 4:49pm (Dick’s Rnd3 no-go)

Dicks Titanic,

My 2nd round, 74, was  so very close to breaking par. A few bad breaks, lies, and a not so good putter, cost me the goal of going under par.  I was eagerly awaiting the 3rd. round as I really thought I could go under par.

However, my friend, mister nerves struck pretty hard throughout the night. This was the 2nd. night in a row, that I had to fight my “friend”. Upon waking this morning, I realized that the body had had too much.  I was convinced by friends not to play today.

I do believe it was the right decision. Sadly I will not be going to Montreal; instead it is my hope that I will be seeing a neurologist this week. Reality has struck, and I know that until we solve this dilemma, I will never know whether I can become a professional golfer again. The inability to do things on a daily basis that you have to do to improve your game, just aren’t being done at the moment. So, with that said it is time for me to jump ship from competitive golf until my nerve problems are resolved.

My pride and competitive spirit, just do not want to handle the playing for show, disabled rights and the spirit of golf. I don’t want to be held responsible for anything I say in this moment as I am writing this with sadness and tears, so I may not be of sound mind.

I will certainly keep you posted as of what happens when I see the new neurologist. Please remember there WERE people that survived the Titanic and the RV. I will fight on.

Be good and be well,
Ken

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6-10-10: “Green Getting Better” – to play Champions Tour’s MONTREAL CHAMPIONSHIP July 2-4, 2010
By Randy Phillips, Canwest News Service, Montreal Gazette
PHOTO: 
5-time PGA Tour winner Ken Green is the latest Champions Tour golfer to commit to play at the inaugural Montreal Championship presented by Desjardins slated for June 28-July 4 at Club de Golf Le Fontainebleau in Blainville.

Ken Green’s life changed forever a year ago this week.  On June 8, 2009, the 5-time winner on the PGA Tour lost his longtime girlfriend Jeanne Hodgin, his brother Bill and his German shepherd dog Nip when his RV blew a front tire and left the road, crashing into a large tree while travelling on Interstate 20 near Meridian, Miss.  Green survived the accident, but his lower right leg had to be amputated because of the injuries he sustained.  Green endured more personal tragedy this year, when in January his estranged 21-year-old son, Hunter, died in his Southern Methodist Univ. dorm as a result of an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs.

After the RV accident, Green — who now has a prosthetic right leg — vowed to return to competitive golf. He has already accomplished that this year on the 50-and-over PGA Champions Tour and will be in the field for the inaugural Montreal Championship, slated for July 2-4 at Le Fontainebleau in Blainville, Que [ http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/s013 ].

“The 6 rounds I’ve played so far, I feel it’s a better accomplishment than the tournaments I’ve won,” Green said of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in late April and last month’s Regions Charity Classic.  “I’m more gratified and feel more of a sense of accomplishment than I did winning,” Green, who turns 52 next month, added during a teleconference call this week.  “It’s the ultimate as far as I’m concerned. That’s how good I feel when I get on that tee now.”

Green counts the 1988 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey as the most satisfying of his PGA Tour victories since it was “a country’s national open.” He earned nearly $3.7 million US and had 44 top-10 finishes during a career that spanned nearly 20 years before personal problems — including clinical depression — finally took their toll. Financially ruined, he even contemplated suicide.  During his time on the PGA Tour, Green was known for being belligerent, somewhat of a rebel, and prone to actions that sometimes demonstrated a lack of respect for the game or his peers. He reportedly once hid some friends in the trunk of his car to get them into the Masters.  Attempting to strike out on a new career on the Champions Tour, Green joined the 50-and-over circuit in his first year of eligibility and played 18 tournaments, earning nearly $150,000 before the RV accident.

“The game is different now in that I don’t have the strength, and physically I can’t repeat the golf swing,” Green said. “Every swing is a little different. It’s hard to repeat the swing in any case, and now it’s much harder.  The slightest of sidehill lies are an absolute disaster,” he added. “To try to execute on the professional level … I shanked a 6-iron for the first time in my in life at Alabama (the Regions tournament, where he shot 74, 76, 75 to tie for 73rd) and thought: ‘Oh my God.’ I almost took Gary Hallberg’s head off. So it is physically different.  Mentally, it’s totally different, too. But I loved golf before the accident and I still do. When I got the opportunity to compete, I realized how much I loved doing it. I have so much more respect for the game and for the ability. I still have the ability to play decent, but I don’t think I’ll ever be the player I once was.  “Honestly, I can still beat most people, and that makes you feel pretty good. That you’re enjoying it even more than you used to and you respect it even more. That’s kinda weird coming from me, because people know that I’ve had kind of a wild reputation. So it’s been a fun process in that there is some good out of the agony I’ve had to endure.  “When you lose as much I did, you learn to … not necessarily to appreciate life, because I do … but I really appreciate playing golf and being able to go out there and try to compete. It’s in your blood.

“The great thing about golf versus any other sport is that you can do it longer,” he added. “The idea that I can go out there … I don’t get upset … I don’t get even remotely angry. … Even when I hit that shank shot, you sit there, laugh and shake it off. Don’t get me wrong, I get aggravated because I’m trying, but I don’t get angry. That’s the difference.”

How much opportunity Green gets to “beat most people” remains to be seen, because after the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on June 25-27 in Endicott, NY, and the Montreal event, the only way he can continue to play in Champions Tour events is on sponsor exemptions.  “For whatever reason, (the tour) elected to not grant me a major medical exemption,” Green said. “I don’t agree with it, but that’s what they’ve decided.  “All I want to do is get better, keep trying to improve. That’s been my goal every tournament I’ve played. That’s not always an easy task in the game of golf. When I get to Montreal, I want to be even better than I was at the Dick’s Sporting Goods event.”

Here’s hoping Green gets a lot more opportunities after that, too.
Montreal Gazette
6-8-10 ANNOUNCEMENT OF K.GREEN COMITTING TO MONTREAL CHAMP:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Green+joins+field+Montreal+Championship/3126990/story.html

Remember Nicklaus’ famous par5 at 16 at Firestone about 40 years ago?  That was nothing compared to this.   Caddie Mitch Gross has chimed in with “the rest of the story” – see below.  If KG ever writes a book (when he retires from competitive golf in about 10 years), I hope he devotes an entire chapter to this “routine” Par 3 he made at the 179-yd. 14th at Ross Bridge on May 15, 2010 in the 2^nd round of the Champions Tour ‘2010 Regions Charity Classic’ in Birmingham (his 1^st indiv-play Champions Tour event since the accident), playing with Peter Jacobsen & Bruce Lietzke.

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First, KG’s version, from his KG’s 5-15-10 Blog Post #58. . .

Regions Day Two,  . . .

It was then that the big guy intervened with a classic wowsy moment. After I beat the 13th hole into a coma with a birdie from the trees, I had the honors on the par3 14 – 179 yards to the pin and a nice front pin over water. I calmly decided to power a 6, where I hit this fan shank into the water. When I arrived to survey the situation I was told it was swimming with the orcas. I was kinda screwed and trying to figure out where to drop it when I noticed that I saw the ball down in the moss filled pit was potentially playable. It was then I tried to figure out how to climb my one legged body down there. It was a 5 foot rock ledge climb where I held on to rocks, women and wine. Once I had successfully gotten to the bottom, I had to walk back up to the ball – the 10 yd. journey on moss, rock, water and little creatures was filled with numerous slips but not once did I go down. I then decided that I was there and was gonna see if I could get the ball that was completely submerged out and up over this 5 foot ledge to the pin which was a mere 60 feet away. With one quick slap I got the ball out and up and on the green to about 20 feet. Awesome!! My caddy, Mitch, then pulled my butt up and out. He of course showing his extreme athleticism and fell down. After I stopped laughing, I went over and simply knocked it in!!!! A par called ‘classic’. It was a memory hole!!

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Now, Caddy Mitch Gross tells us “The Rest of The Story”…
…Comment Posted 5-19-10 by Mitch (to KG’s #58):

Ken is understating what happened, though he is accurate about me falling backward to get his butt up and out of the creek. To this day the shots he made constitute the single greatest par I have ever seen, heard about, or read of. And that’s no exaggeration.

Once we found the ball in the creek it was a foregone conclusion we would pick it up and take a drop. Peter Jacobsen asked the marshal 4 times whether the ball might have crossed the hazard and rolled back in. No such luck. The ball went in on the fly. Lietzke said, “Maybe you didn’t see it right. It looked like it crossed to me.” Again the answer was “no.” All this time Ken stood looking down at the ball 20 feet below the putting surface sitting on a moss-covered boulder. It was clearly beneath the surface and oscillating gently in the current. Jacobsen finally noticed a place where Ken could take a drop.

No one, and I repeat, no one, conceived he would attempt to hit that ball. The marshal bent down to pick it up and Ken stopped him. “I really think I can get it out,” Ken said.

When Lietzke heard it he was in shock. “Maybe you better rethink this, Kenny. A guy with two good legs couldn’t get down there.”

Jacobsen echoed the sentiment.

Ken said, “Look, there’s a low point about 30 yards away. I’m pretty sure I can make my way back to the ball.”

When he started down, Rose Lietzke, who was caddying for her husband that day, pinched me and said, “Stop him. He’s going to kill himself.”

Quite frankly, I didn’t know what to do. Nor did Mark Woods, the tournament chairman, who was doubling as a marshal. Nor did the Golf Channel cameraman, who had climbed down out of the tower and had come over, ready to jump in and rescue Ken.

It took several minutes of slipping and sliding for Ken to negotiate the slippery rocks and make his way to the ball. All the while Peter Jacobnsen kept muttering to himself.

Ken finally steadied himself and swung.

Water and mud flew into the air. A second later it arched upward and landed 25 feet from the flag. There was a collective gasp from the people there. The gum the cameraman was chewing fell out of his mouth. One woman actually started to cry. I swear.

Ken told the crowd, “I didn’t think I would hurt this leg,” he said, referring to his prosthesis. He then went on the make the putt.

By this time it was obvious we weren’t going to win the tournament. But it didn’t matter. What I saw was the essence of guts, determination, and a love of the game so great, a man was not going to give in without a fight. He job was to shoot the best score he could and that’s what he did.

On the way down the 15th fairway, Peter Jacobsen fell in step beside me and said, “I hope you know you just witnessed a miracle back there.”

That night, I wrote to my agent about what had happened. He sent the email verbatim to a book publisher who called me and asked me to recount the events. As I did, he become choked up. So did I.

There is an old expression that goes, “A man who won’t be beaten, can’t be beaten.” I never knew exactly what that meant until the other day.

-Mitch

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Followup 5-19-10 by Mitch:

 Col., regarding “Ken is understating what happened, though he is accurate about me falling backward to get his butt up and out of the creek.”, I did fall backward hauling him out, but it was more as a counter-balancing move. That slope was steep and if I let go, he was definitely going for a swim.  There are certain moments in sports that transcend the game itself.  Some of them are major events that took place in front of millions. Some in front of 15 people.  I was there in Mexico City when Bob Beamon broke the world record in the long jump.  I was there in Seoul, Korea when the women’s 4 X 100 relay team came back from an impossible deficit to win the race. I saw Secretariat win the Belmont by 38 lengths, Jack Nicklaus make the final birdie of his competitive golfing career at St. Andrews, Ali knockout George Forman. I read about Sarazen’s double eagle at the Masters.  I saw films of Willie Mays making that catch over his shoulder in the World Series on a dead run.  Let me tell you, there is no exaggeration when I say this was the greatest par I have ever seen, heard of, or read about.  I feel truly honored to have seen it in person and more honored to have a buddy like Ken.
-Mitch

May 14-16, Regions Charity Classic
Friday May 14 – Sunday May 16, 2010
Robert Trent Jones Trail at Ross Bridge, Hoover, AL
Tournament site: http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/s564

1^ST ROUND TEE TIMES – FRIDAY MAY 14 2010:
10:37am Harris, John Glasson, Bill Browne, Olin
10:48am (((Green, Ken))) Hallberg, Gary Mize, Larry
10:59am Zoeller, Fuzzy Lyle, Sandy Pavin, Corey

The Regions will be Ken’s first full-field, solo Champions Tour competition since the accident. His goals this weekend are small, at least when talking about a score. “If I keep it under 80 every day, I’ll be happy,” he said.  But it’s a start toward being competitive on the golf course again, and that’s what he desperately needs.  “You’ve got to say that playing is a victory,” Green said. “Starting and willing to take another slap in the face, basically, is a victory. You’re basically saying ‘I’m going to go out there and I’m going to let the course win.’ You have to be strong enough mentally to accept that when it happens but then keep moving. This is a battle and it’s a long one.”
…this from 5-13-10 Birmingham News article by Steve Irvine – see below.

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KG just posted this – remember, his 10:48 Tee-Time is CT – that’s 11:48 ET, so this was less than 2 hrs. before his 1^st stripe right down the middle in Birmingham!
KG’s Blog Post #56 – 5/14/10 9:56am
Friday Nerves Are Slamming Me,
Wowsy!! I was doing so well and then it hits me like the Hulk. Nerves and anxiety, not my leg pain. But, I am committed to trusting the day to trust and remember that the victory is playing and not the score. I will keep improving everyday. I’ve had a serious conversation with my hybrids and told them they are going to work their tails off today. It feels so good to be scared.
Take care and I’ll be back,
Ken

= = = = = = = =ROUND1 UPDATES:

Friday 2:51pmCT: Birdies at 5, 9, 10, and 13 (so far) … 2-under on the back thru 14!!!

Article:
Friday, May 14, 2010, 2:50pmCT: “Ken Green Makes His Return to Competitive Golf at Regions Charity Classic”
By Ian Thompson, The Birmingham News
http://blog.al.com/golf/2010/05/ken_green_makes_his_return_to.html

At precisely 10:48 Friday morning, Ken Green teed up his ball, adjusted his stance and split the fairway with a beautiful opening drive at the Regions Charity Classic at Ross Bridge in Hoover.  For anyone who knows his harrowing story, this drive was nothing short of miraculous. The fact that he even made it to the tee, for the first time in a tournament on his own in almost a year, was special.  Green lost the lower portion of his right leg in an automobile accident that claimed the life of his girlfriend and his brother last year.  On his first shot Friday, he made solid contact and that obviously gave him a lot of pleasure and a big smile came across his face.  There followed an approach shot onto the green and a narrow miss for birdie. He was on his way back where he really wanted to be … on the golf course.  Through 15 holes of the opening round, Green stands at 1-over par.

= = = = = = = BTW, look at his DRIVING Stats (Friday)!
DRIVING ACCURACY 85.7%
DRIVING DISTANCE 282.0
http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/14/44/scorecards/2010/s564.html

= = = = = = = = KG’s Blog #57 Reviews RND1:  (5/14/10 6:21pm):
Round One Done,
Wow! So excited yet angry too! I’m really pleased with my round. I hit a good shot on the 2nd hole and the ball went over the green and we lost it. I was really in a panic because I was scared to death that this was a disaster that was about to begin. I fought back and was really happy that I picked off 4 birdies. The leg went nuts on the last 3 holes, but I managed to get out of there without destroying the day.  I’m going to go relax and recoup but wanted to send a quick note.
Thank you all for caring – it means the world to me.
Ken

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5-14-10: PGATour VIDEO of KG making his 4^th Birdie of the day Friday on the Par5 #13:
“In the first round of the 2010 Regions Charity Classic, Ken Green hits one tight at the par-5 13th and putts in the short birdie try.”
PGATour.com link to Video: http://tinyurl.com/33zd62r 
…BTW, check out them Shorts and them Legs! 

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5-14-10: Champions Notebook, Round1: Regions Charity Classic
• Playing on a prosthetic limb, Ken Green made his first start in a stroke-play event in almost a year and shot 2-over 74. His round included 4 birdies. Green had his lower-right leg amputated following an RV accident in Mississippi while returning from the Triton Financial Classic in Austin last June. The accident killed his girlfriend, his brother and his dog, Nip. Here are some quotes from Green following his round today:  “I’m not happy, but I am happy if that makes any sense. I hit some good shots and when I think about it tonight, I think I’ll be happy. It was hard and I got emotional at times during the round. The crowd support was great all day. I can’t tell you how good it does me to get that support. We all need love and support. The 4 birdies I made out there was fantastic. I was nervous on the 1st tee but the tee shot I hit was actually one of my better ones of the day. I had lots of good hope out there and I’m encouraged going forward.”
http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/s564/05/14/notebook-regions-charity/index.html

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5-14-10: “Four Golfers Tied For Champions Tour Lead, Amputee Ken Green Shoots 74”
The Canadian Press, by AP
…Ken Green, playing his first stroke-play event since having the lower part of his right leg amputated following an auto accident in June, shot a 74. He had four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey while walking the 7,396-yard course.  “It was hard, and I got emotional at times during the round,” Green said. “The four birdies I made was fantastic. I had lots of good hope out there, and I’m encouraged going forward.”
http://stage.www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/golf/joey-sindelar-tied-for-lead-after-first-round-of-regions-charity-classic-93817109.html

= = = = = = = = = = =ROUND2 UPDATES:
Round2 Tee-Times (Sat May15):
7:41am Gene Jones, Mike McCullough, Fred Holton
7:52am Bruce Lietzke, Peter Jacobsen, (((Ken Green)))
8:03am Mark Wiebe, Gary Hallberg, Jim Roy

(((( KG has 3-Bird 76 in Round2 Saturday in Birmingham)))
I sent this to KG about an hour ago…
Excellent 3-Bird Round AGAIN, KG!!!
I know that Hilly, Long course has got to be working on you.
Remember, it’ll ONLY Get Better, CHAMP!
Was Peter his normal Funny guy?  Ditto Bruce – seems like a nice fellow.
Col.
Got this text reply back a few mins ago:
“Hey man. Yes it was fun today.  Many good shots the lies r killing me but this is a unique course it will be better soon.”

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =KG’s BLOG #58 – ALL ABOUT ROUND2:
KG’s Blog Post #58 – 5/15/10 3:02pm
Regions Day Two,

Well how is it all floating? Day two is done and over and I’m here to tell you that even though the score was higher, there were a lot of good old love, shots and no damn putts!!!

I was fortunate to play with Lietzke & Jacobsen and they are just good people to play with. Bruce happen to mention that he peaks at my blogs and wondered if I was gonna open my mouth again today. At the time I said I was kinda pissed and didn’t want to get myself fined again.

It was then that the big guy intervened with a classic wowsy moment. After I beat the 13th hole into a coma with a birdie from the trees, I had the honors on the par3 14 – 179 yards to the pin and a nice front pin over water. I calmly decided to power a 6, where I hit this fan shank into the water. When I arrived to survey the situation I was told it was swimming with the orcas. I was kinda screwed and trying to figure out where to drop it when I noticed that I saw the ball down in the moss filled pit was potentially playable. It was then I tried to figure out how to climb my one legged body down there. It was a 5 foot rock ledge climb where I held on to rocks, women and wine. Once I had successfully gotten to the bottom, I had to walk back up to the ball – the 10 yd. journey on moss, rock, water and little creatures was filled with numerous slips but not once did I go down. I then decided that I was there and was gonna see if I could get the ball that was completely submerged out and up over this 5 foot ledge to the pin which was a mere 60 feet away. With one quick slap I got the ball out and up and on the green to about 20 feet. Awesome!! My caddy, Mitch, then pulled my butt up and out. He of course showing his extreme athleticism and fell down. After I stopped laughing, I went over and simply knocked it in!!!! A par called ‘classic’. It was a memory hole!!

I look forward to trying not to finish last and to doing battle again tomorrow. We are making great progress and I’m so psyched. This battle with golf is keeping me going. It is giving me a reason to fight. People were just so nice. I’m thrilled that I can give someone a smile, it makes me feel like gold. Oh, the pain today was lower than yesterday, so I can only hope it keeps going in that direction. I can’t begin to tell you how much it hurts.’’

Be good,
Ken

KG/Regions-Birmingham/May14-16 2010 – FINAL RESULTS:
74-76-75 = 225
7 Birds total, finished with 10 straight pars, Driving day3: 259.5, 93% accuracy, for the tourn: 271.7, 81% accuracy.
Cards & Stats:
http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/14/44/scorecards/2010/s564.html

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5-16-10: “Congrats to Ken Green – He Did It.”
by Chris Elsberry, The CT News
http://blog.ctnews.com/elsberry/2010/05/16/congrats-to-ken-green
Three days of tournament golf (and tournament pressure) and not only did Ken Green survive, he played amazingly well. Sunday in the final round of the Champions Tour Regions Charity Classic in Hoover, Ala., Green, from Danbury, shot a 3-over 75 to finish the 54-hole tournament at 9-over 225.   Green, who was involved in a tragic RV accident last June that killed his brother, girlfriend and his dog and cost him half of his right leg, shot rounds of 74-76-75 over the 7,396 yard course using a prosthetic limb — making him the first professional golfer to accomplish such a feat.  Green’s only two goals for the tournament were to break 80 all 3 days and not to finish dead last and he achieved both. He finished tied for 73rd, finishing ahead of Jim Roy, Frank Shikle and Rick Smallridge [and tied with Jim Dent].  Congratulations, Ken. Well done.

…ANOTHER GREAT RECAP BY TOM YANTZ:
5-17-10: “Ken Green Tied For 73rd Place, But Remains No. 1”
By Tom Yantz, The Hartford Courant
Here’s the only number that matters when it comes to what Ken Green did at the Champions Tour Regions Charity Classic:  #1.
The scoreboard said he finished tied for 73rd place in the field of 77.
Don’t believe it.
He played inspirational golf. Playing with a right leg prosthesis for the first time in a regular Champions Tour event, he concluded the tournament Sunday with a 75.  His story continues to be remarkable. And it gives him hope and confidence to do better with the world’s best 50-and-over players. A great story continues to develop.
http://blogs.courant.com/chip_shots/2010/05/ken-green-tied-for-73rd-place.html

= = = = = = = =  = = = = = = = = = = = GREAT ARTICLE:
5-13-10: “Champions Tour Golfer Ken Green Leans on God as He Fights His Way Through a String of Tragedies”
By Steve Irvine, The Birmingham News
http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-sports/2010/05/champions_tour_golfer_ken_gree.html

Ask Ken Green about the RV accident last June that took the life of his older brother Billy, his longtime girlfriend Jeannie Hodgin and his German Shepherd Nip and he’ll reach into his heart, look you in the eye and try to explain what it’s been like to carry around that grief.  Ask him what it’s like to lose his lower right leg after the accident and he’ll share what it’s like to live life as an amputee.  Delve into what it’s like to live through the pain caused by the death of his 21-year-old son, Hunter, who died of an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs in January, and he’ll attempt to put into words the feelings that he can’t fully describe.

“If you believe in God, which I do, for some reason he decided that I’m going to have these special kind of tests in life,” said Green, who is among the field of 78 golfers competing in this weekend’s Regions Charity Classic. “I’ve got to do the best I can in that. That’s our purpose as a person, I believe. When you’re given these obstacles, you’ve got to go handle it. It doesn’t mean you’ve got to win every battle. You may not even win the war, but at least you’re going to go fight them.”

It’s not the first battle for the 51-year-old Green. Challenges came from several different directions. One was his battle with depression that not only crippled his golf game but nearly cost him his life. At one point, he considered suicide, and this was long before the tragedies of the past year.

RID OF DEMONS
To fully understand his losses, go back to about this time last year when Green played Champions Tour events in 4 consecutive weeks with Billy as his caddie. His 4-week journey in the RV with his three travel companions began at Ross Bridge, moved on to Cleveland, Des Moines and concluded in Austin, Texas.  “When we were traveling back from Austin, our last stop, so to speak, I told Billy that the demons were totally gone and from here on in there would be nothing but good stuff,” recalled Green, a 5-time winner on the PGA Tour and Ryder Cup participant in 1989. “Once my demons were gone, I was going to have a good run at golf for awhile. Emotionally, I was as good as I’ve ever been. Golf was about to become as good as it had been in forever. Billy was doing wonderful, Jeannie and I were wonderful, I couldn’t ask for much more. And then you wake up and you don’t even know what happened.”

What happened was the RV blew a right front tire and ran down an embankment while traveling on Interstate 20 near Meridian, Miss., on June 9. With a week off before the next tournament, they were traveling from Austin to Greensboro, N.C., where Jeannie lived. Green didn’t learn what happened until he woke up in a hospital with his sister, Shelley White, by his side.  Green’s badly mangled right leg was soon amputated just below the knee. He spent five weeks in the hospital and another month recuperating at his sister’s house.  His faith in God was Green’s rock during this time, but he said golf wasn’t that far behind. Once he was physically ready, he started the slow process of learning how to play golf as an amputee. 

In January, Hunter Green, who was attending SMU, was found dead in his dorm room. The older Green, who had a fractured relationship with his son, did not learn about the death until about a week later and, by that time, Hunter was already buried.  After learning about his son’s death, Green wrote in his blog that “we had a stranded relationship but my love for him never diminished once.”

Once again, his faith was tested.  “I’m constantly saying (to God), ‘Didn’t you see how I handled the first thing you threw at me (his depression), and now you’re throwing 3 or 4 different asteroids at me?’”

One way he copes is to talk about it, even though his emotions can turn into tears at any moment. One of those times came in a Connecticut movie theater while watching “Clash of the Titans.”  “This makes no sense,” Green said. “It’s a movie about gods and men and fighting and wacky, one-eyed heathens and all that. And I had a pretty bad burst.”

This past Saturday, he ventured across the street from his Hoover hotel to eat dinner. It wasn’t until he was inside the restaurant that he realized he was sitting at the same table where he and his brother ate after arriving in town for the Regions Charity Classic last year.  “I just kind of lost it,” Green said. “I was like ‘How does that happen?’ There’s a gazillion different restaurants here. It is stuff like that, that are kind of tough. I’m OK with the crying and having those bad days or those bad moments, but they hit you at the stupidest times.”

GOLF IS ANOTHER BATTLE
Through it all, he clings to golf. He desperately wants to find a way to contend in a Champions Tour event, but knows that is uncertain.  He’s had to reinvent his swing with the help of longtime friend Peter Kostis because his lack of lower-body strength limits his distance off the tee and his stance in his short game changes constantly.  The game that has been his life seemingly forever doesn’t come naturally anymore. He thought about not coming back. He played a couple of mini-tour events before taking the big leap of playing in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in Savannah, Ga., in late April. Green teamed with Mike Reid and finished tied for 26th in the 32-team field, but that was overshadowed by Green’s mere presence.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Boy, this is great for Ken, this is really going to lift his spirits,’ Reid said at the time. “But it’s the other way around. That’s the message I hope nobody misses. He’s lifting us.”

The Regions will be his first full-field, solo competition since the accident. His goals this weekend are small, at least when talking about a score. “If I keep it under 80 every day, I’ll be happy,” he said.  But it’s a start toward being competitive on the golf course again, and that’s what he desperately needs.

“You’ve got to say that playing is a victory,” Green said. “Starting and willing to take another slap in the face, basically, is a victory. You’re basically saying ‘I’m going to go out there and I’m going to let the course win.’ You have to be strong enough mentally to accept that when it happens but then keep moving. This is a battle and it’s a long one.”
*end*

= = = = = = = =ANOTHER GREAT ARTICLE:
5-12-10: “Ken Green Starts Comeback at Regions Charity Classic”
CBS 42 Sports, Birmingham, AL
((((Includes a Video!!!))))
http://www.cbs42.com/sports/story/Ken-Green-Starts-Comeback-at-Regions-Charity/hCgCu9RfxEOmMR8eH_T0cg.cspx

In the midst of his first comeback on the Champions Tour, an unthinkable tragedy struck Ken Green last June.  He was driving home from a tournament in Austin, Texas, when his RV blew a tire, rolled down an embankment and hit a tree. His brother, girlfriend and life-long companion Nip the german shepard, were killed instantly. Green was thrown through the windshield and shattered his right leg.

“My only hope of ever playing professional golf was if they cut the leg off,” Green Says. “At the time was pretty simple and I’m still glad I did it.”   For Green, golf was all he had left. “It’s what’s giving me the hope because when you lose as much as I’ve lost, you have a lot of bad days, bad moments,” he says. “Having something out there, you know, it’s kind of like teasing the horse with the carrott. Golf’s doing that. Giving me that hope that we can get through all this and move forward.”

Less than a year after having his leg amputated, Green is playing in his first tournament this weekend. And while he continues to move forward, Green never loses sight of the past. Written on his shoes are the names of all those he lost including his son hunter who died just 6 months after the accident.  “Just my way of saying I’m never gonna forget. And I’ll make sure I don’t forget,” he says.

Green is the first golfer with a prosthetic leg to compete on the Tour, but for a guy who was known as one of golf’s bad boys in the ’80s, the role of inspiration is one he doesn’t take lightly.  “Ken Green and inspiration don’t usually go hand-in-hand, ” he says with a laugh. “It is kind of wierd. But if you are a believer and he puts you on a certain path for a reason. I’m hoping I can fill the task. Honestly, that’s one of the things I’m worried about. I want to make sure I do all the right things. Whereas before I don’t think I ever worried too much about that.”

Ken is still learning how to play with his new leg and every course brings new challenges. But if there’s anyone who can handle whatever life throws his way, it’s Ken Green.
*end*

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =AND THIS ONE:
5-13-10: “Champions Tour’s Green Braces for Challenges of Return to Individual Play From Tragedies”
By John Zenor, AP Sports Writer
http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/sports/article/525870–champions-tour-s-green-braces-for-challenges-of-return-to-individual-play-from-tragedies  

HOOVER, Ala: Ken Green is a realist, and a survivor.  So he isn’t aiming for a quick victory in his comeback to the Champions Tour. Playing respectably would be a win, in itself. Green returns for his first individual stroke-play event since a series of tragedies with the Regions Charity Classic starting Friday in suburban Birmingham.  Green has endured the deaths of his brother, longtime girlfriend and son, and the amputation of the lower part of his right leg over the last year.

“It will be beyond difficult for me,” Green, who partnered with Mike Reid in the Legends of Golf last month, said Thursday in the players clubhouse. “I would be ecstatic if I can break 80 all three days. There’s no delusions here. Once I get stuck on a certain lie — you know, one bad shot leads to another bad shot — I’m going to make some doubles and triples (bogeys) and scores add up.  But you’ve got to do it. I’ve got to learn. I’ve got to figure it out, and the only way to do it is to keep playing. I’ve got to keep playing if I’m going to get better.”

He says he’s got to keep playing, period, to help cope with the terrible blows of the last year.  Last June, Green was in a crash that killed his brother and girlfriend, along with his dog when the RV his brother was driving blew a tire and went off Interstate 20 near Hickory, Miss., hitting a tree.  Faced with either having his lower right leg amputated or giving up golf, he chose the former. 

In January, his 21-year-old son Hunter was found dead in his SMU dorm room.

Fellow golfer Scott Simpson marvels at Green’s return from all that.  “He’s inspiring a lot of people,” Simpson said. “He lost two, now three, people and a dog that you love, that are your whole world.  “I think he adds a lot to this tournament and the Champions Tour. We’re all rooting hard for him.”

Green’s shirt Thursday had “Nipper” on the back in honour of his beloved German Shepherd. He had another one made honoring his late girlfriend, Jeannie Hodgin.

Green isn’t sure of his own judgment in making his individual, 54-hole return on a 7,525-yard course that includes par-5 holes with yardages of 620 (No. 6), 614 (13), 592 (3) and 571 yards (16).  It’s the Champions Tour’s longest course. Welcome back, Ken.  “This is a tough one,” Green said. “I figure I might as well start at the hardest and work my way down.”

Green, who has a prosthetic right leg, will be allowed to ride a cart close to the tees and greens to minimize the agonizing up-and-down climbs. He didn’t make use of that privilege in a round Wednesday, and paid dearly for it the next morning.  “I’m not even sure I can play all three days in a row,” Green said. “Today would have been an absolute disaster. I don’t know how three days are going to be. They just told me I can bring the cart pretty much anywhere which will help a lot.  Ups and downs are bad because my good leg is actually the bad leg. I’ve got ligaments and tendons that are torn from the accident. Either way I walk, it’s difficult.”

He said he constantly has what he describes as “an electrical short” running through his right leg.  “And it really goes up to levels that you just cry,” Green said. “I just didn’t know that this kind of pain existed. It’s pretty nasty.  They say it takes time. I got a bad case of it, and it’s just the luck of the draw when you get your leg chopped off.”

Green said it took a week to recover from the Legends of Golf, where he and Reid finished tied for 26th.  There’s no best-ball play this time. Every bad shot counts. And Green readily admits that’s a scary prospect and that his nerves were a jangled mess a day before the tournament — a seeming rarity for a veteran of 507 PGA Tour starts, including 5 victories.  His goals under normal circumstances would be modest. Green said he wants to shoot 80 or below for all three rounds and he’d love to crack 75 once.  Also, he doesn’t want to finish last. For all he’s been through, Green still has to try to push away fears that he’ll embarrass himself or his sport, something that Simpson said would be impossible at this point.

“The one thing I don’t want to do is hurt golf in any way,” Green said. “And I know that’s just me thinking like an idiot, but I can’t get it out of my mind. Every player has been wonderful and said, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy it. It’s great that you’re playing, that you’re here.’  It’s just something I have to get out of my head and say, OK I’m just going to go out there and play and see what happens.”

*end*

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5-7-10: Ken Green Interview, WJOX/Birmingham Podcast (MP3 – my PC plays with Windows Media Player)…
Ken Green talks about his return to golf after his tragic RV accident. Ken shares his amazing story with Jay, Al and Tony.
Listen Here:
http://podcatchers.fia.net/501
/4292265.mp3?sid=23646&lid=5018&id=1797496&source=3

Sunday 4-25-10: GREAT RETURN, KG, and Thank You Mike Reid – you are one class act, as well as being a Great Player.  What a remarkable return to the Champions Tour it was for our man KG.  …Ken & Mike finished 67-66-71 = 204 -12 T26.

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KG’s COMMENTS AVOUT LEGENDS/SAVANNAH FROM HIS BLOG #49:
The Aftermath… Savannah didn’t burn this time!!!

Hello everyone!

It’s Monday, the day after Savannah, here comes Green.

The past 3 days have been the absolute greatest days of my golfing life.

Friday was the most amazing day my life has seen to this day.  I was filled with anxiety, nerves, joy, fear, excitement, friendship, love, pain, skill, and any other emotion I can’t think of at the moment. I’m thrilled that I hit the ball solid off the first tee and then proceeded to play a rather pathetic 8 holes of golf that was purely, “I’m so nervous I can’t play golf“.

That being said, I was having a blast. Mark Omeara, Nick Price (they won, they owe me a cut for not hitting them and knocking them out of the event), and my partner Mike Reid were just complete pros and human beings, as they inspired me to fight on no matter what I did.

Then out of no where I whacked this 6-iron from the rough (me & fairways were not getting along) on the green and the next 10 holes were actually real golf. I mean pro golf. I was stunned and shocked.

When done and replaying the round, I realized that I can do this again. I just need some time to make the changes to my swing that my friend and teacher of 3 decades [Peter Kostis] has me doing.

I’m so excited I can’t even explain it to you properly. My skipping from point to point may show that by itself, as I make little sense.

My much older and almost ancient sister did a great job caddying and it was just awesome to have her with me at that time. She is without a doubt the best person in the Green family – small family though.

Anyway, I wish everyone could have experienced that feeling on the first tee – I was fractions away from loosing my marbles. The feeling I had when I made my first birdie were just stupid awesome, but just WOW.

My hope is to compete in the Dicks Sporting Goods in late June, that will give me 6 weeks to hopefully get a bit healthier and then get these swing changes down a bit.

I missed my Jeanne so much this week – those emotions were hard to keep inside me.

The nut jobs from the health trailer did a great job keeping my real ankle from falling apart, I was taped like that King Tut nut guy…

Damn, it was fun. People were just fantastic and I will talk to you soon.

Ken

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 
Terrific article by David Whitley that is a fitting wrap up and salute to KG’s amazing return to the Champions Tour with Mike Reid at the “Legends of Golf” in Savannah, April 23-25, 2010…
Sunday 4-25-10: “Ken Green: Survivor, Hero, Golfer”
By David Whitley, National Columnist
Caption: “He’s been rebuilding his swing with the help of CBS golf analyst Peter Kostis. It’s like Eric Clapton having to learn to play the guitar with his left hand.  And then trying to perform Layla in front of 10,000 paying customers.”
Excerpts: . . . The rest of us can only rub our eyes in amazement. Green & Mike Reid tied for 26th in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.  They finished ahead of players like Curtis Strange, Fuzzy Zoeller and Ben Crenshaw. All of whom, it should be noted, have 2 good legs.   Green and Reid had 3 between them. Despite that, they shot 12-under par. It was the lowest (and only) score in competitive golf history for a man wearing a prosthetic leg.  So what if he and his partner finished 16 shots behind Mark O’Meara and Nick Price?  “It won’t register as a win,” Reid said, “but it’s a win.”. . . A win on the Champions Tour could never replace a brother or a son, but golf can be therapy. Something more than a search for birdies is driving Green.  “Seeing not only the awkwardness, but the pain he endured this week,” Reid said. “It’s just a measure of how much he loves the game.”  It’s about the only thing he hasn’t lost in the past 10 months. But put all that heartache aside. Even if Green’s knee had been bitten off by an alligator, nobody thought he’d be playing golf again so soon.  “There are 1,000 different thoughts and feels you have,” Reid said. “I can’t imagine what it’s like just to invent a swing on every hole.”. . .His first few shots on Friday were screeching disasters. Then he hit a 6-iron from the rough to 15 feet – it was his first green-in-regulation since his life tumbled down that embankment. He quickly pocketed 2 birdies.  “And make sure you note that I did out-drive O’Meara,” Green said. . .  Doctors say it will be another year before the nerves at the bottom of Green’s knee stop crackling. Even though he used a cart, 3 straight days of golf were about 36 holes too many.  “It’s a feeling I wouldn’t even want to give to my ex-wife,” Green said. “It’s a bizarre pain. But that’s my life right now.”  Throw in the improvised swings, the throbbing left ankle, the anxiety, the utter improbability of it all. Cart or not, it’s safe to say no golfer has ever had to carry so much baggage.  “It sucks,” Green said, “I mean, there’s no way around it.”  He was just trying to be honest, not angling for sympathy. Rain and wind blew in Sunday. You try getting a decent stance with a fake leg on wet grass. What Green lacked in birdies he made up for in admirers.  “You’re my hero,” one fan said.  Green shook the man’s hand and limped on his way.  “I have more desire and fight than I’ve had in 30 years,” he said. “I can’t tell you how desperately I want to do this.”  He didn’t have to. His right shoe said it all.  *end*
FULL ARTICLE:  http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/04/25/ken-green-survivor-hero-golfer

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AND THIS TERRIFIC WRAPUP BY VARTAN KUPELIAN:
4-28-10: “Winning Isn’t Everything”
By Vartan Kupelian, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
http://www.pgatour.com/2010/s/04/28/CT-insider/index.html

Competition is about winning and losing but there are times when the lines can be blurred and the ultimate prize isn’t necessarily what it appears to be.  Nick Price & Mark O’Meara won the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf last week, and deservedly so, but nobody can say Ken Green & Mike Reid didn’t come out as winners, too. . . .

Green became the first recorded amputee to tee it up in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event at the Legends of Golf. Green & Reid finished in a tie for 26th. For Green, 51, a man determined to take however many baby steps he needs to return to the Champions Tour, it was a giant leap.

“I don’t know if I could possibly express what this has done for me personally in terms of getting hope again — I hate to say this, but getting hope for life,” Green said.  “If I start talking about it, I’m probably going to end up bawling, so I’m trying to say the right things without losing it.”

Losing it? Not a chance. Green, on one good leg, has started the long walk back to where he wants to be.  And then there’s Reid. What he won in Savannah isn’t measured by dollar signs. It’s measured by the standards of compassion and decency.

“For Mike to give this week for me was something I’ll never ever forget,” Green said. “He’s playing so well. If he had another player that wasn’t, quote, in the midst of trying to regroup ….”

What Reid found discovered is the level of Green’s commitment.

“I think I underestimated maybe how much he loves the game because for him to be here and from my perspective seeing not only the awkwardness, but the pain he had to deal with, it’s just a measure of how much he loves the game,” Reid said.  “He inspired all of us, but I had the best seat in the house. He was not a load, believe me. I mean he was hitting a lot of good shots, great short game. I was really impressed.”

And then Reid said it all.  “When you make a living at this game, you sort of like to think that you have an idea where the ball’s going to go,” he said of Green. “To have all of that erased, which in effect is what has to have happened and to reinvent everything on the fly and get out there and do what he did.  “It’s not going to register as a win in the tournament, but it’s a win.”

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
AND THIS ONE BY GARY D-AMATO:
4-27-10: “Green Back on Tour After 4 Deaths, Loss of Limb”
By Gary D’Amato, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/golf/92264744.html

It would have been a stretch to call Ken Green a role model or an inspiration during his first incarnation as a professional golfer. He was a rebel who clashed with the PGA Tour hierarchy, a brash and sometimes crude man at odds with the game’s genteel image. He won 5 tournaments, including the 1988 Greater Milwaukee Open, but rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.  Green was suspended for 30 days for calling Raymond Floyd a cheater. He battled alcohol use and depression and said he considered suicide. He went through a bitter divorce and custody battle with his second wife and by 1997 reportedly was $250,000 in debt. He lost his swing and all but disappeared from golf.  The game went on just fine without him.

But a horrific RV accident that took everything from Green – his girlfriend, his brother, his dog and the lower part of his right leg – has changed him in ways that make you want to stand up and cheer for him.  Golf is all he has left. He is fighting enormous odds to make a comeback on the Champions Tour. Out of the wreckage has emerged a humbled man determined to rebuild his swing and his life.  “I can’t tell you how desperately I want to do this,” Green said. “There’s just no other way around it. I have got to fight this. There’s something that tells me I have to do this.”

Green, 51, teamed with Mike Reid to tie for 26th place in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf on Sunday.  Big deal?  It was for Green, who became the first man to compete in a Tour-sanctioned event with a prosthesis.  “I don’t know if I could possibly express what this has done for me personally in terms of getting hope again,” he said. “I hate to say this, but getting hope for life.”

Last June, Green was driving his recreational vehicle between Champions Tour stops when a tire blew near Hickory, Miss. He was unable to control the vehicle and ran off the road and down an embankment before hitting a tree.  His brother and caddie, Bill, and girlfriend, Jean Marie Hodgin, were killed in the wreck, as was Green’s beloved German shepherd, Nip. Doctors wanted to try to save Green’s lower right leg but told him amputation would give him a better chance to play golf again.  “Cut if off,” Green said, without a moment’s hesitation.  He went through months of therapy and in January suffered another blow when his 21-year-old son, Hunter, died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol.

At his lowest point, he got a phone call from Reid, his partner in the 2009 Legends of Golf. Reid told Green to get his game in shape. It was just the motivation Green needed.  10 months after the accident, he showed up at the Savannah Harbor Resort and Spa in Savannah, Ga., with “no clue what was going to happen.”  He and Reid shot rounds of 67, 66 and 71 in the best-ball format. Green wore 2 different size shoes – his regular size 10 on his left foot and a size 6 on his prosthesis. Admittedly nervous, he got off to a rough start and bogeyed his first two holes. But he settled down and hit some good shots.

“From my perspective, seeing not only the awkwardness but the pain he had to deal with this week, it’s just a measure of how much he loves the game,” Reid said. “I think he inspired all of us, but I had the best seat in the house. He was not a load, believe me.”  Reid and Green each earned $13,500.  “It’s not going to register as a win in the tournament,” Reid said. “But it’s a win.”

Green is still dealing with excruciating pain in the nerve endings in his stump, which doctors have told him could last another year. He is learning how to swing again with help from CBS analyst Peter Kostis. Balance remains an issue and he can’t handle some shots from uneven lies.  But he’s determined to make a full recovery and to play again on the Champions Tour on his own one foot.  “I have more desire and fight than I’ve had in 30 years,” he said.

Along the way, he’s discovering something else about himself: He has the ability to inspire people.  “It’s the thought that I could give something back,” he said. “That’s obviously unusual. It’s never happened before. If it gives others hope or a smile or encouragement or inspiration or whatever words you so desire, it’s what’s going to keep me going, because I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have golf.”

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AND THIS ONE BY TOM YANTZ:
5-2-10: “Golf Helping Green Overcome Adversity”
By Tom Yantz, Hartford Courant
http://www.courant.com/sports/golf/hc-hc-ken-green-returns-0502.art0may02,0,4731430.story

The tragedies slammed professional golfer Ken Green in numbing succession. First was the RV crash in June that killed his girlfriend, brother and dog and resulted in the amputation of his lower right leg. Then, 5 months later, his son Hunter was found dead in his college dorm room.

“If I didn’t have the faith I do in the big guy, I don’t think I’d be acceptable of the plan he has for me,” Green said in a recent telephone interview. “God has thrown some big asteroids at me. And basically you have two choices: You get squished or you take them on.”

Green is taking them on, and still golfing.  “Golf, I can’t tell you how much I love it,” he said from his home in West Palm Beach, Fla. “The green grass, sunshine, hitting that perfect shot — everything. If I couldn’t golf and try to get back on the regular Champions Tour, I might be a dead man.”

9 days ago Green, 51, winner of 5 PGA Tour titles, was back inside the ropes again, at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Champions team event in Savannah, Ga. He wore a prosthesis. He wasn’t scoring like a pro, “more like a 4-5 handicapper” in his first appearance on the Champions Tour since the accident.

“I’ve never been so nervous,” he said. “I didn’t want to embarrass myself.”

The Danbury native persevered. He had written on his golf shoe, attached to his prosthesis, the names of his brother William, girlfriend Jeannie, and German shepherd Nip. On the toe of his shoe he wrote “Hunter,” who died from of an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs.

Green and teammate Mike Reid tied for 26th out of 33 teams in the 54-hole tournament.  “I hit a few good shots, made a couple of birdies,” Green said. “I knew my goal, which some people might think is a little crazy, of getting back to the Champions was realistic when I hit 3 great shots in the first round.”  Two 5-woods and one 3-wood were struck with the kind of precision that if you shut your eyes and just listened, you knew the balls were flying far.  “And straight; it was an unbelievable high,” Green said. “The rush of adrenaline. I can’t put it into words.”

When Green was in a hospital bed in Mississippi after the RV accident, doctors said they would try to save his leg. But when Green heard them say his chances at returning to golf wouldn’t be good with a repaired leg, Green said, “Cut it off.”  They obliged, just below his knee.  “I just lost everyone I had loved,” he said. “Golf was my salvation. With a prosthesis I knew I’d have a chance to be a pro again.”  After the accident he underwent other surgeries on his legs, back and head.  Every day Green experiences pain in his right leg and says he takes 15 pills a day.  “For leg seizures, pain stuff,” he said. “Some days it’s hard to get out of bed because the nerves are still firing, but that part of the leg is gone.”

In March his request for a medical exemption from the Champions Tour was denied. One reason is that medical exemptions are only open to those players who have won this year or last year, or finished in the top 30 in money winnings last year. Green wasn’t in either group.  “I’m a longtime pro on both tours, but basically I feel there are some poorly written loopholes in the rules,” he said. “I didn’t ask for anything that I feel I hadn’t earned or deserved.”  So Green, whose playing exemption into regular Champions Tour events ends July 23, will need sponsor’s exemptions to play in tournaments after that date.

His bills continue to come, though. The estimated annual cost to pay his medical expenses is $50,000.  He’s receiving help. In addition to a fundraiser last September at Ridgewood CC in Danbury, there was one in November at The Breakers course in Palm Beach, Fla.  PGA Tour players also voted to donate half their earnings in tournament pro-ams this year to Green and Chris Smith, whose wife was killed in a automobile accident last year.  “I can’t thank everyone enough, and those fans who’ve given me $5 or $10,000,” Green said. “When I tee it up, I’m playing for them.”

He also is playing for other amputees and those with hardships who seek someone to look up to.  “I’ve gotten an enormous amount of letters and e-mails, saying I help give a boost to people’s lives,” Green said. “At the Legends, people with no arms or legs thanked me. You know what that does.”  There was silence on the telephone line for a few moments as Green gathered himself.  “It’s an honor to help them,” he said.

Golf instructor Peter Kostis is looking to help Green with an altered swing.  “I had always faded the ball,” Green said. “Now I’m clearing my left hip out quicker to hit it right to left.”  His average driving distance was 271.8 yards on the Champions Tour last year before the accident. Today he’s hitting it about 240. He hopes to gain another 15-25 yards, with a right-to-left, over-spin shot.

He plans to play in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open Champions Tour event in Endicott, N.Y., June 25-27 — the same week as the Travelers Championship.  “Sure I could have asked for a sponsor’s exemption for [the Travelers],” he said. “I love River Highlands. It’s my home tournament in my home state. I can’t think of anything better than to play in it. I’m not ready yet. How about next year?”  After the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, Green would like to play in the Connecticut Open July 26-28 at the CC of Fairfield. He won the event in 1985 and 1992. 

While talking about his comeback drive, he related a story of his German shepherd, Munch.  “He’s a wonderful dog, and I respect his work ethic,” he said. “There’s one door here that he worked on, kept clawing and pawing at it. Long time, lots of effort, but he finally opened it.  “I may not make it all the way back, but you know I’ll give all my body and spirit to do it. I won’t stop. The door needs to get opened.”

Those wishing do make a donation to help Green can make checks out to the Ken Green Trust Fund and mail them to Ken Green Trust Fund, 1551 Forum Place, Suite 300 E, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33401.

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AND THIS ONE BY michael FITZPATRICK:
4-27-10: “Ken Green: The Real Golf Comeback Story Of 2010”
by Michael Fitzpatrick, BleacherReport.com
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/385015-ken-greenthe-real-comeback-story-of-2010

Three weeks ago Tiger Woods returned from a 5-month self-imposed exile to finish fourth at the Masters.  So what…big deal.

Last weekend Ken Green returned to the Champions Tour for the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf a year after having the lower portion of right leg amputated as a result of a car accident that also took the lives of his brother, his long-time girlfriend and his dog.  A tragedy of this magnitude is enough to drive even the most light-hearted individual into a deep depression.   Let’s just say that Green has, well, never been known as a light-hearted kind of guy.  In fact, he has spent more than a decade battling inner demons on the course and depression off the course.

The first thought that came across the minds of many was that this is precisely the type of event that could drive Green into the darkest depths of despair.  But instead of heading down that dark road most expected him to travel, Green decided to head in the opposite direction with the game of golf guiding his way.   Green completely engrossed himself in his rehabilitation with the intention of one day returning to the Champions Tour. 

Aside from re-discovering his love for the game, golf also provided Green with a much needed outlet during this difficult time in his life. And Green was by no means forced to make this journey alone.  Numerous members of the PGA Tour decided to donate a portion of their Wednesday pro-am earnings to Green during the 2009 season.  In addition, an outing in Palm Beach Florida last November raised more than $400,000 to help cover Green’s medical expenses…with “help” being the operative word when considering the cost of health care in America. 

As the New Year rung in, Green was more determined than ever to make his way back onto the Champions Tour; only life had yet another cruel twist of fate in store for him.  In late January, Green’s son, Hunter, was found dead in his dorm room at Southern Methodists University.  At this point, Green must have been asking himself what he could have possibly done to deserve this unfathomable amount of personal heartbreak.  Although Green will never find out the answer to that question, he continued to stick with the one thing in life that he did know – golf.

Green waged a daily battle against both physical and mental pain as he moved closer to his ultimate goal, which he achieved last weekend in Savannah, GA.  After years of depression, financial hardship, inner demons, poor play and personal tragedy it appears that the golf Gods have finally decided to smile upon Ken Green.  Green began his opening round last Friday with back-to-back bogeys after duck-hooking his first 2 tee shots.

Following another pulled tee shot on the 9th hole, Green walked off the tee box with a downright dejected look upon his face; the kind of look you’d expect to see from a man who in the last 12 months has lost his girlfriend, his brother, his son, his dog and the lower portion of his right leg.   But that was the end of Green’s downward spiral on Friday afternoon.  It was as if the golf Gods all came together and said “ok, that’s enough!  There’s only so much pain and suffering one man should have to endure in one lifetime.”

Green pierced a 6-iron through the wind and onto the 9th green, which was the first green he had hit in regulation all-day.  Although he missed the birdie putt, green would go on to play his final 10 holes in one-under-par.

He and teammate Mike Reid carded a 67 in their opening round which landed them in 17th place out of 33 teams; not bad considering that half of the 2-man team was playing on one leg.  It didn’t matter that Green and Reid would go on to finish the tournament in 26th place; Green had already achieved victory the moment he struck his first tee shot on Friday afternoon. 

“You know, obviously there’s tons in life besides golf, but golf is what I am using to try to push me forward without losing it,” Green said at last week in Savannah.  It may be naïve to think that sports can save a man’s life, but in Green’s case, that’s precisely what the game of golf has done for him.   “Golf is everything to me,” Green said.  “I love golf. Some guys play golf just because they’re damn good and they make a living. I love golf.”
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/385015-ken-greenthe-real-comeback-story-of-2010

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4-25-10: “Green Finishes In Savannah, Debates Next Event”
http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/s504/04/25/green.ap/index.html
SAVANNAH — Ken Green learned over the weekend that he can still play golf. He just isn’t sure how soon he wants to do it again.  Green came back after a series of tragedies to team with Mike Reid in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. The duo shot a best-ball 71 Sunday to finish at 12-under 204, tied for 26th out of 33 teams at the Champions Tour event.  Last June, Green was in a crash. . .  He chose to have the lower part of his right leg amputated after doctors told him it would give him the best chance of playing golf again. . . Now, Green is weighing whether to play in next week’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.  “I’ll have to make a decision tonight,” he said. “I’ve got to learn to play those courses again. I’m just not sure the time is right now.“  Green also wants to play an upcoming individual 54-hole event, the Dick’s Sporting Goods Classic in Endicott, N.Y.  “If the nerves (in my lower leg) settle down and I can make the changes I need to make in my swing, I can do this,” he said. “And I desperately want to do this.”
*end*

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KG & Radar-Reid go off at 9:12 Friday (April23) in Savannah…
CHAMPIONS TOUR Home: http://www.pgatour.com/s/
9:00am Sindelar,Cook / Morgan, Kite
(((( 9:12am Price,O’Meara  /  Reid,K. Green ))))
9:24am T. Watson,North / Stadler,Sluman
…More on The Legends Tournament:
Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
Friday Apr 23 – Sunday Apr 25, 2010
The Westin Savannah Harbor Resort, Savannah, GA
http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/s504/

Friday April 23, 2010:
God what a Day it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I had the Pleasure of being there.
After a rough 1st 8 holes, a great 6-iron at 9 perked him up, and he played a Super Back9 – kept getting Better & Better – more and more solid.  2 Birds, and a 3^rd one shoe-horned on him from 4 ft – he birdied the very next hole, a par3 after a great iron and 15 foot slider.  On the 18th, a 457-yarder into the wind, he hit a perfect drive and great 3-wood to 30ft. short, and just missed birdie.   Towards the last few holes I noticed he started getting that ole grinfing look in his eyes – that’s when you know he’s REALLY Enjoying it.  I could tell he didn’t want to Stop!!
Articles Galore:
* http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/s504/04/23/ken-green.ap/index.html
* http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/sports/golf/24green.html
* http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2010-04/golf-legends-green-moriarty
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He wore a shirt that had “Baby” on the front & back – actually, it’s a pitch for a sun care product called “Baby Blanket”, but ironically, he always called Jeanne, “Baby”.  At the end, many players came over to back-slap & high5 him, and then the reporters swamped him for about 45 minutes.  Then, he came over and signed autographs.  I saw he was signing them “Ken Green” with “JHB” below – I saw him lean over one little boy, autographed a new Callaway for him, pointed to the “JBH” and whispered to him, “Now that stands for 3 people I Love that have gone to see God.”
It was just an Amazing day today.
-Col.

4-24-10 TGC’s GolfCentral:
TGC replayed an interview with Ken prior to The Legends Rnd1, where he talked about the impact of losing Jeanne, and how much he will think about her standing on the 1^st tee before he hits his opening drive (“besides the fact that it’s my 1^st event back, all of a sudden it’s the 1^st event where She’s not back.”).   During the round1 telecast, KG was shown extensively on the back9, and they kept emphasizing his courage and what an inspiration he is.  Then, after Ken & Mike shot their opening 67, the announcer said, “they’re only 5 shots out of the lead – a remarkable story.”  They then replayed KG just missing a birdie putt at the 18^th, and the announcer said, “that putt right there for Ken Green’s par at 18, a big and huge, huge comeback – one of the great stories of golf – THE MAN DOES NOT QUIT”.  Then, the other announcer closed with, “Certainly one of the good stories in golf – we wish Ken Green the absolute Best.”.

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Heading to The Legends with Mike Reid…
“Hate to be Rude: ‘I don’t want to screw up’”
4-21-10, GolfWeek.com – by Jeff Rude
http://www.golfweek.com/news/2010/apr/21/hate-be-rude-i-dont-want-screw
Golf doesn’t often provide material worthy of a heart-tugger on the silver screen, a storyline full of human tragedy followed by determined, painful recovery and some sort of triumph. This week, though, the game offers such an episode, for Ken Green returns to Champions Tour competition for the first time since losing his brother, girlfriend, dog and his lower right leg because of an automobile accident last June.

Starting Friday, the five-time PGA Tour winner will partner with Mike Reid in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. Green doesn’t expect to be all that competitive in the better-ball event, not that it matters to anyone but himself. What he will be is inspirational and nervous.

Ken Green had his lower right leg amputated as the result of a tragic RV accident in June that killed is brother, Billy, his girlfriend Jeannie Hodgin and his dog Nip. Green hopes to be back on the Champions Tour in April.

“I’m as nervous as I’ve ever been going into an event,” said Green, his amputated leg outfitted with prosthesis. “Some of it is knowing I’m not ready. Part of it is that some of me thinks I can still play. I don’t want to screw up.”

Green shot 68 last October from white tees and has since shot 70 from the blues. But some days he goes birdieless. Then there are the health problems. He has played but four rounds in the past five to six weeks. He spent nine days in bed and four in the hospital because of pneumonia in late March. And he still feels excruciating discomfort at times. Daily he takes about 15 pills for reasons relating to leg nerves, pain and inflammation.

“It’s a mystery,” he said of his performance this week at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa. “I’m more nervous about the mystery. Once I see the movie Friday, I’ll know.”

Green, 51, says he hits the ball as far as a 65-year-old man these days. But not any 65-year-old man; like one who has had his name on his bag for years. There’s self-deprecation in the statement because his drives post-accident have peaked at 260 and averaged 245-250.

“It’s safe to say I’m not quite pro-caliber,” said Green, who characterizes himself as a 4-5 handicap. “There will be ugliness. I’ll have to laugh and hope Mike plays well.”

Green worked with his longtime instructor, Peter Kostis, last Thursday and Friday and tweaked a few things that he figures will help. The problem is he can’t practice for long periods at a time, or for days in a row, without feeling pain or burnout. So there’s yet another disadvantage.

“If I hit more than 70 balls and try it the next day, I’m fried,” he said. “Usually the third day is a nightmare.”

Yet his story, sad as it has been, has some dreamy elements. His can-do spirit is admirable. He’s touching and moving people like never before. This week, his inspiration will be in full view like never before.

“I do intend to enjoy it,” Green said. But then he tacked on a competitor’s qualifier: “I won’t be happy if I don’t make any birdies.”
Photo by Lynda Peckham
“Ken Green is working to rebuild his golf game and return to competition.”

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“Ken Green will make his competitive return to golf at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf this week”
Apr. 21, 2010, by Vartan Kupelian, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/s504/04/21/ctinsider-green/index.html
By Vartan Kupelian, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

Ken Green knows what it’s like inside the ropes. For him, simply returning to competitive golf is the motivation. Beyond that, who knows what will or can happen?

Now more than ever before, Green understands this much: Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is certain.

On Friday, Green, 51, will do something nobody else ever has. He will become the first amputee to tee it up on the Champions Tour. Alongside partner Mike Reid, Green will return to the Champions Tour at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, and he will cherish every moment.

“There are probably two things that stick out for me,” Green said Wednesday at Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa. “One is competing again. Golf is everything to me. I love golf. Some guys play golf just because they’re damn good and they make a living. I love golf. I’m in the Arnie Palmer thing. Go out and play.

“Just 5 months ago, I was thinking that I should only do it if I feel like I can honestly try to play some good rounds. Numerous things have happened. Who is to say that something else can’t happen where you literally will never have a chance? I want to be able to say I have played, gone out there inside the ropes. There’s a special feel inside the ropes playing golf.”

There is one other, small thing.

“Desperately trying to make some birdies for Mike,” said Green, a 5-time winner on the PGA TOUR in the 1980s.

Last June, Green’s brother, Bill, and girlfriend were killed in an accident that resulted in the amputation of Green’s lower right leg. In January, Green’s 21-year-old son, Hunter, was found dead in his dorm room at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Life has taken some painful turns for the Connecticut native who has undergone extensive rehabilitation with a prosthetic limb and will become the first amputee to compete in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event.

While Green admits he still has some very bad days looking back, all he wants to do this week is look forward.

Green never doubted this moment would come, that he would someday have a driver in his hand and stand on the first tee with the ball on a peg.

“I can honestly say I did not,” he said. “Unfortunately, the mind thinks differently than the body, and I started hitting some shots that I never hit, that’s put some doubt, some concern. But I still believe that I can pull this off. It’s just going to be a little longer time than I probably would have liked.

“It’s been a journey. Sometimes that’s what the Big Guy does. I can honestly tell you without the faith that I have now, I don’t know if I could have handled everything that’s come my way. So that’s helped. You know, I didn’t always have the monster faith that I do in God. It has helped.”

The faith won’t change what he will feel on the first tee.

“I will be absolutely petrified,” Green said.

Reid and Green tied for 25th last year. Reid’s previous partner, Johnny Miller, decided not to have another go in 2009. Reid needed a partner. He picks up the story.

“I had made a couple calls to different people, and I guess the word got through to Ken that I was looking for a partner,” Reid said. “He called me, and that’s what started our partnership last year.”  Reid never thought twice about who would be his partner this year.  “It wasn’t long after (Green’s) accident,” Reid said. “I sent him a text probably a month after. I said, ‘We can beat most of these teams on three legs so get your game ready.’”  There is a message within the message, and Reid wants to make sure nobody misses it.  “It’s easy to say, ‘Boy, this is great for Ken. This is really going to lift his spirits,” Reid said. “But it’s the other way around. That’s the message I hope nobody misses. He’s lifting us. What a measure of courage to be here and to be committed.”

Green has played in a couple of small events as an amputee. In Ft. Myers he shot 73-77 and “I putted really well to do that,” he said. Then came a bout with pneumonia and a hospital stay. Last week he spent time with his instructor, Peter Kostis, who has worked with Green for 27 years.

“We’re making some changes that are totally foreign to me, complete opposite,” Green said. “When you’ve done a certain move for 30-some-odd years and he says, ‘OK, we’re going to do the opposite,’ it’s not really easy.

“The way I look at it, we’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose. Actually, I’ve been looking at the thing and thinking, OK, maybe we got a shot with that team or maybe we can handle that. But it’s going to be what it’s going to be.”

Reid’s view is much the same.

“We’re realists and yet competitors,” Reid said. “It’s easy to say fellowship is more important than championship. We’re going to go out and do the best we can. Over and above that, we’re going to have fun. It’s good to get together again and be on the golf course.”

Looking forward again, Green is setting his sights on En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott, N.Y., as a target date for his solo return to the Champions Tour.

“I am hoping that I can get these swing changes down, and I’m hoping to play at the end of June at the Dick’s Sporting Goods event,” he said. “I’ve always liked that course. It’s relatively flat. That’s probably where I’m hoping to fire it up.”
*end*

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“Reid Looks Forward to Partnering Ken Green”
Interview with Mike Reid 4-16-10:
Mike to KG: “You’re still my partner, and we can beat most of these guys on three legs.”
http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=62868 

Q. Can you talk a little bit about how the partnership with Ken Green came about and what you’re expecting next week in that event.

MIKE REID: I think a month before that tournament last year I was looking for a partner. Because I hadn’t had enough wins, I sort of resigned myself to playing in the other decision. I think it’s call the Rafael Division.

I called Mark Hayes and I contacted another friend of mine or two, and they had already gotten partners.

I guess Ken had heard that I was looking for a partner, and he had won enough so that we could play in the upper division if he could find somebody else to play with.

So he called me, and I said, I would be delighted. We just got better as the week went along. He’d also been a friend, but not the kind of guy you see in the locker room and go out to dinner with.

We had been friends for a long time, but it was great to get to know him better, and his brother, his wife, just the family. My wife was there. We just had a great time. We went out to dinner a few times.

So after his accident this summer, I texted him. I gave him about 2 weeks and then I texted him. I said, You’re still my partner, and we can beat most of these guys on three legs. Get in shape. I expect you to be playing in April.

He texted me about 6 weeks ago and he’s sort of, I don’t know if I’m playing that good. I’m playing a 5 handicap. I don’t want to hold you back.

I said, Look, it’s more about the fellowship than the championship. It’s gonna be great for both of us. It’s golf. We’re gonna hit some good ones and we’re gonna hit some bad ones, but we’re gonna have a great time together. I haven’t heard anything from him in the last week or so, but that’s what I’m looking forward to next week. I think it’ll be therapeutic for him.

I think as your question evidences, it might have been the story of the tournament. Talk about attitude. We text back and forth and I talk to him and I’ve seen him twice since this at a fundraiser we did this summer, and then again just a few weeks ago in Florida.

He is on a mission, unlike the Ken Green that we’ve known before. I think it’s inspirational, and people need to know that. So I’m looking forward to it.
*end*

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“Reid Looks Forward to Partnering Ken Green”
Golf Digest, April 16, 2010, by Bill Fields
http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/blogs/local-knowledge/2010/04/reid-looks-forward-to-partnering-ken-green.html

LUTZ, FL:  Mike Reid & Ken Green teamed up to finish T-25 in a 31-field team at last year’s Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. According to Reid, the bottom line for the two golfers in the 2010 event next week in Savannah, Ga., won’t be their scores. It will be Green’s first Champions Tour appearance since having to have his lower right leg amputated after a horrible RV accident last summer.

“Ken texted me about 6 weeks ago and said he was playing to a 5 handicap and didn’t want to hold me back,” Reid said Friday at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. “I said, ‘Look, it’s more about the fellowship than the championship. It’s going to be great for both of us. It’s golf. We’re going to hit some good ones, and we’re going to hit some bad ones, but we’re going to have a great time together.

“I haven’t heard anything from him in the last week or so, but that’s what I’m looking forward to next week. I think it’ll be therapeutic for him. It might even be the story of the tournament. Talk about attitude … he’s on a mission, unlike the Ken Green that we’ve known before. I think it’s inspirational, and people need to know that. I’m looking forward to it.”
*end*

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The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf ( http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/s504 ) tournament on the Champions Tour when it takes place from April 23-25 in Savannah GA.  Look for Ken when it’s televised on The Golf Channel & CBS.

“Ken’s strength, courage and passion for the game are amazing and truly inspiring,” said Joe Rotellini, Executive Director of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. “We are both humbled and honored that he will compete here in Savannah and look forward to cheering him on as he reaches this significant milestone in the healing process.”

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE & WATCH JOHN SWANTEK’S GREAT 6:15 VIDEO HERE:
http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/s504/04/08/green-reid

4-8-10 Report from Kevin Richardson re: April 7, Ben Hogan Night…
“Jim Mercer and I were there.
We had the table closest to the podium.
Tiger was at the table next to us.
Ken came dressed in shorts and a Tommy Bahama shirt – classic!
Two writers who wrote stories on Ken got first place awards for their pieces on him.
Ken got the only standing O before and after his speech. He spoke very well and from the heart; everyone there was touched.” – KR.

4-7-10: Ken Green receives The Ben Hogan Award in Augusta

Ken Green receives The Ben Hogan Award from The President of the GWAA Vartan Kupelian during the 2010 Golf Writers of America Annual Awards Dinner on April 7, 2010 in Augusta.

4-7-10: Ken Green & Tom Watson receive jointly The Ben Hogan Award

Ken Green & Tom Watson receive jointly The Ben Hogan Award from The President of the GWAA Vartan Kupelian during the 2010 Golf Writers of America Annual Awards Dinner on April 7, 2010 in Augusta.

4-7-10: Ken Green speaks to the guests after receiving The Ben Hogan Award

Ken Green speaks to the guests after receiving The Ben Hogan Award during the 2010 Golf Writers of America Annual Awards Dinner April 7, 2010 in Augusta.

4-7-10: Ken Green accepts BEN HOGAN AWARD at GWAA Dinner in Augusta

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4-8-10 Golf Digest Editor’s Blog…
“GWAA Awards night” – quotes by T.Watson & Ken Green…
…There were politics, but kind and gentle kind. Conservative Tom Watson, who shared the Ben Hogan comeback-from-injury award with Ken Green, said, We’ll, I am undeserving too compared to what my fellow golfer Ken Green went through.”
Green, his irascible self, looked down at the artificial leg he’s had since the car accident that took his girlfriend and his brother began, “I may have a metal thing down there, but I can still put it in my mouth.” Though he took Commissioner Tim Finchem to task for the tour’s not affording him a special medical exemption to play the Champion’s tour, his comments were both funny (“I’ll bet you’ve never put Ben Hogan, Tom Watson and Ken Green together!”) and moving. Referring to his accident and the subsequent loss of his son this year, Green said: “You have a choice. You can fall apart or you can re-group. They say God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle. I hope he got the right guy. You can be sure I’ve had some bad days. But I can honestly tell you that the one thing that kept me moving, kept me going was the dream of mine to get back playing professional golf.”…
http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/blogs/golf-editors/2010/04/awards-night-tiger-eats-medias.html

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4-8-10: “Hogan Award Bittersweet for Masters Maverick Ken Green”
By David Westin, Staff Writer, Augusta.com
http://www.augusta.com/stories/2010/04/08/mas_573027.shtml

Ken Green never thought he’d be in town and attend the Masters Tournament as a spectator for this reason. 

Green, who played in 6 Masters from 1986 through 1997 and was the first-round leader in his first appearance, attended the Golf Writers Association of America awards banquet Wednesday night, where he accepted the Ben Hogan Award with Tom Watson.   Earlier in the day, Green attended the Masters practice round.  The Hogan award goes to a golfer who remains active in the sport despite a physical handicap or serious illness.

Green certainly qualifies.

The 51-year-old, a 5-time winner on the PGA Tour who played on the Champions Tour last year, is in the process of returning to golf after being in a motor home accident that took the lives of 2 people and led to the amputation of his right leg.  The accident, which happened in Mississippi last June when the vehicle blew a tire, took the life of Green’s brother, Billy, Green’s girlfriend and his dog.

“It’s a double-edged sword; I’m honored they (the golf writers) have thought of me and gave me consideration, but I’d preferred not to have that accident,” said Green, who accepted the Hogan Award at Savannah Rapids Pavilion.  The tragedies that have happened are mind-boggling.”

In March, his son Hunter, a student at Southern Methodist University, died of an accidental overdose from a mix of alcohol and prescription drugs.  “It’s a been a horrific year for me,” Green said.  Winning the Hogan award took a little sting out of it.  “When things like this happen, it helps perk you up,” he said. “It gives you a little boost. When you go through what I go through, you have down time and bad moments.”

SINCE GETTING his prosthetic leg, Green has worked to make his return to golf.   He played in a mini-tour senior event and will make his return to the Champions Tour on April 23 in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in Savannah, GA, where he will team with Mike Reid, who was his partner there last year.   He will be the first player to play in the Champions Tour event with a prosthetic leg. 

“I’ve taken a beating here, there’s no doubt about it,” Green said of his injuries. “The idea of playing professional golf is what has kept me going.”  Other than the Legends of Golf event, Green doesn’t know when he’ll play again on the Champions Tour. He’s been turned down for a major medical exemption this year by the PGA Tour, which has him furious.

At Augusta National Golf Club on Wednesday, Green was able to relive many of the memories from his colorful Masters days. At the top of the list is the 68 he shot in the opening round of the 1986 Masters that gave him a share of the lead with Bill Kratzert.  “I think about all the putts I made that day,” Green said. “I don’t care what anybody says, it was the most ridiculous putting round in Augusta history.”  Green said he made 5 putts of more than 30 feet, including one he estimates was “80 or 90″ feet on the 5th hole. He was a few yards short of the green and putted from there to a back-center pin position and made it.  He capped off the round by making a 30-foot birdie on the 18th hole.  Of course, the 1986 Masters turned out to be the one in which 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus won his 6th green jacket.  “The Golf Channel constantly shows that Masters and they always refer to me and show the bunker shot I holed out on No. 18 on the second day; that’s a shot I’ll always remember,” said Green, who followed the 68 with rounds of 78-74-76 to finish 44th.

GREEN HAS always been something of a maverick in golf. He made waves at the Masters, but it turns out he was ahead of his time in certain areas. He had one of the first female caddies (his sister, Shelley, in 1986) and he was the first golfer to have one of his children caddie for him in the Par-3 Contest. Now, almost all the players have a family member as their caddie.

Green also says he and his buddy, Mark Calcavecchia, started the tradition of skipping balls across the water on the par-3 16th hole during practice rounds.  Some patrons interviewed this week thought that Seve Ballesteros was the first player to skip the ball across the pond on No. 16.  “They’re mistaken,” Green said.  Here’s how he knows he and Calcavecchia were the first: he received a letter from then-Masters Chairman Hord Hardin telling him “we don’t do that here,” said Green, who continued to skip his ball across No. 16 whenever he played in the Masters.  He also received a letter from Hardin chastising him for having one of his children caddie for him in the Par-3 Contest.  “I got numerous letters,” Green said. “I tossed them pretty quick.”

Green was also fined by the PGA Tour for some of his actions during the Masters.  “I was probably fined more times at the Masters than at any other event; I was fined at least once for every event I played, and twice once,” said Green, for offenses ranging from cursing to club abuse.  The reasons for so many fines at Augusta National, he said, was because “there were so many different officials on every hole.”

His most famous incident came in the 1997 Masters.  Playing with an injured finger, Green shot 87 in the first round and was planning to withdraw.   In those days, the pairings were changed each day, and he decided not to withdraw when he found he drew Arnold Palmer in the second round as a playing partner.  “He was my hero growing up and I had a wonderful time playing with him,” Green said.  Green got in trouble, however, on the 15th hole.  “I’d always dreamed of having a beer with Arnold Palmer and I knew I’d never get that chance again, so I had a friend bring me a beer.”  Afterward, when questioned by officials, he admitted to drinking the beer, which is a violation of PGA Tour rules.  “Like a fool I opened my mouth and told the truth, which is what I always do,” Green said.

Back in 1989, he snuck friends onto the grounds, hiding two of them in the back seat and two more in the trunk of his car. He had to get 8 people in, so he made 2 trips each day.  “We had 16 people and my wife had half the badges,” Green said. “She wouldn’t come and she refused to send them.”  Green told Augusta National officials his problem.  “I told them the truth and they wouldn’t let me do it (buy more badges),” Green said. “So I improvised.”  Green pulled off the stunt every day that week.  “I got pretty good at it and never got caught,” he said. “I would drop them off and tell them they were on their own (to avoid being caught without a badge).   ”As luck would have it, the only person who got caught was one of her (his then-wife’s) brothers.”

With his checkered past at Augusta National, Green said he was “a little leary” when he called the club to see if he could purchase some extra Wednesday practice-round tickets for some relatives who made the trip with him this week.

“I was hoping they didn’t hold a grudge against me.”

Green got the tickets.

*end*

“Ken Green who lost his right leg to an automobile accident was awarded the Ben Hogan Award by the Golf Writers Association of America at their 38th Annual Awards Dinner at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion in Martinez, GA Wednesday evening.” (Jeff Janowski/Special)

“After an opening-round 68 in the 1986 Masters, Ken Green was tied for the lead with Bill Kratzert. Green finished 44th in that year’s tournament.” (Augusta.com File)

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“Ken Green, Tom Watson Share Ben Hogan Award”
By Tom Yantz, Hartford Courant, Jan. 6, 2010
http://blogs.courant.com/chip_shots/2010/01/ken-green-and-tom-watson.html

Ken Green and Tom Watson share the Golf Writers Association of America Ben Hogan Award, according to a PGA Tour press release. 

There will be plenty of cheers and some tears when Green accepts this honor in April.   Green, a Danbury native, had his lower right leg amputated last summer as the result of a traffic accident that killed his brother and girlfriend. Watson almost won the British Open last year after having hip replacement surgery the year before.

The Hogan Award is for golfers who remain active in the sport despite a physical handicap or serious illness. Green is working to be the first golfer to play with a leg prosthesis on the Champions Tour.
 
In addition, Pete Dye, who redesigned Edgewood Golf Club in Cromwell to the TPC at River Highlands in the early 1980s, was honored with the William D. Richardson Award, given annually to recognize individuals who have consistently made an outstanding contribution to golf. Dye is a noted golf course architect. One of his famed creations was TPC at Sawgrass.

((( All the awards will be given out at the GWAA Awards Dinner April 7 in Augusta, Ga. ))) Others to receive awards include Padraig Harrington (ASAPSports/Jim Murray Award, which recognizes a golfer for cooperation, quotability and accommodation with the media) and GWAA players of the year Tiger Woods (PGA Tour), Jiyai Shin (LPGA) and Loren Roberts (Champions). To read more go to http://www.pgatour.com .

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“Harrington, Watson, Green, and Dye Honored By Golf Writers”
By Golf Digest,  Jan. 5, 2010
http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/2010/01/gwaa_awards
Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, Ken Green and course architect Pete Dye have been honored with three of the Golf Writers Association of America’s most prestigious awards.

Watson, 60, a Hall-of-Famer and the 2009 British Open runner-up, and Green, who lost part of his right leg in an accident that claimed the lives of his brother and girlfriend, both received the Ben Hogan award, given for remaining active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness. This year marks the first-ever tie for the award.

Harrington, a 3-time major winner, received the ASAPSports/Jim Murray award, which honors a golfer for cooperation with the media. Dye, whose course designs include TPC Sawgrass, Whistling Straits, Black Wolf Run and PGA West, received the William D. Richardson Award, given to individuals who have consistently made an outstanding contribution to golf.

Watson, Harrington, Green and Dye will be honored April 7 in Augusta, Ga., at the annual GWAA Awards dinner. Players of the Year Tiger Woods, Jiyai Shin and Loren Roberts will also be honored.

Harrington, 38, was the 2008 GWAA Male Player of the Year, and Watson was the recipient of the Charlie Bartlett Award in 2004. Green, 51, is rehabilitating and determined to return to the Champions Tour.
*end*

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Exciting News from Kevin Richardson 1-7-10. . .
“Ken has been honored by the Golf Writers Association of America as the 2010 recipient of the Ben Hogan award, for remaining active in golf despite a physical handicap. Ken will be honored, along with Tom Watson, in Augusta on April 7, 2010, the eve of The Masters.”