Ken Green (golfer)
A five-time PGA Tour winner whose story of resilience after losing a leg in an accident redefined sporting comeback.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American professional golfer·Birthday: July 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ken Green's golf was as bold and unvarnished as his personality. Emerging in the 1980s, he played with a flashy, aggressive style that yielded five PGA Tour victories and a spot on the 1989 Ryder Cup team. His career was marked by high peaks and public struggles, but nothing compared to the tragedy in 2009. A horrific RV accident took the life of his brother and girlfriend, and led to the amputation of his lower right leg. Defying all expectations, Green dedicated himself to a comeback, learning to play competitively with a prosthetic limb. He became the first amputee to compete in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, using his platform to advocate for disabled athletes and sharing a raw, unfiltered account of his physical and emotional journey. His later life was marked by further personal loss, yet his fight to return to the game remains a powerful testament to his complex character.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ken was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ken Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ken's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won five PGA Tour events between 1985 and 1989, including the 1989 Canadian Open.
- Represented the United States in the 1989 Ryder Cup matches at The Belfry.
- Became the first leg amputee to compete in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event on the Champions Tour.
- Earned eleven professional tournament victories across multiple tours in his career.
Did You Know?
He was known for his distinctive look on tour, often wearing brightly colored clothing and sporting a mullet haircut.
His beloved dog, a German Shepherd named Nip, was also in the 2009 RV accident and survived.
He was an outspoken critic of golf course design and PGA Tour policies throughout his career.
“I just tried to hit the ball as hard as I could and find it.”
