Hubert Green

Hubert Myatt Green (December 28, 1946 – June 19, 2018) was an American professional golfer who won 29 professional golf tournaments, including two major championships: the 1977 U.S. Open and the 1985 PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.

Hubert Green
Personal information
Full nameHubert Myatt Green
NicknameHubie
Born(1946-12-28)December 28, 1946
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJune 19, 2018(2018-06-19) (aged 71)
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceMountain Brook, Alabama
SpouseBecky Blair
Career
CollegeFlorida State University
Turned professional1969
Retired2009
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins29
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour19
European Tour3
Japan Golf Tour2
PGA Tour Champions4
Other3
Best results in major championships
(wins: 2)
Masters TournamentT2: 1978
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1985
U.S. OpenWon: 1977
The Open Championship3rd: 1977
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame2007 (member page)

Early life

Green was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended and played golf for Shades Valley High School in Birmingham and then Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, Florida. While at FSU, he won the Southern Amateur in 1966 on his home course at the Country Club of Birmingham. In 1967, he became the Alabama Amateur golf champion, a title he successfully defended in 1968. He also won the Cape Coral Inter-Collegiate Tournament by eight strokes and the Miami Invitational by five strokes, among others. His fourth-place finish in the 1968 U.S. Amateur in Columbus, Ohio, earned him an invitation to play in the 1969 Masters as an amateur. Green graduated from FSU in 1968 with a degree in marketing. That year he also enlisted in the Alabama National Guard at Enterprise, Alabama. However, in 1969, Green won the Southern Amateur for a second time, and as one of the top 10 amateurs in the country, he decided to turn pro. He took a year to earn his PGA of America credentials.[1]

Career

In his 26 years on the PGA Tour, Green had 19 victories, including two major championships: the 1977 U.S. Open at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the 1985 PGA Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. He finished in the top-25 in a third of the PGA Tour events he entered. He also played on three Ryder Cup teams (1977, 1979, and 1985) and was undefeated in singles play.[2][3]

In 1971, Green won the Houston Champions International and was the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year.[2] He went on to multiple victories throughout 1970s, but he was at his peak in the latter part of that decade.

In March 1976, Green won three PGA Tour events in consecutive weeks, an unusual achievement in any era.

At the 1977 U.S. Open, as Green walked to the 15th tee of the final round, he was notified of a caller anonymously phoning in a death threat on his life. The police presented him with options, and he courageously opted to play on, winning by one stroke over Lou Graham.[4]

A month later at the 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry, Green finished third behind Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, who were respectively eleven and ten shots clear of Green in their famous "Duel in the Sun."[5] Alluding to the extent to which Watson and Nicklaus's scores were so significantly clear of the rest of the field, he notably remarked, "I won the other tournament".

Green was ranked third in Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in 1977, having also won the 1977 Irish Open in August. He was also runner-up, one stoke behind, to Baldovino Dassù, at the 1976 Dunlop Masters.

Green finished in the top 10 of the Masters six times in seven years from 1974 to 1980. At the 1978 Masters he came to the final hole about 30 minutes after Gary Player had finished a round of 64. Player had a 1-shot lead over Green, who hit a good drive and then a great approach to within three feet of the cup. Green had to back away from the putt when he overheard radio announcer Jim Kelly say something. When Green took the stroke, he pushed it a little to the right and the putt slid by. Green never blamed Kelly, however, telling Golf Digest, "Only an amateur would have been put off by the interruption — or would try to make excuses about it."[3]

At the 1985 PGA Championship, Green won his second major title, two strokes ahead of defending champion Lee Trevino. It was Green's 19th and final victory on the PGA Tour.

In 1998, his second season on the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions), Green won the Bruno's Memorial Classic in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. He shot a final round of 64, playing the last six holes with an eagle, four birdies, and one par to beat Hale Irwin by one stroke.

Green was also active in golf course design, having worked on TPC Southwind, the site for the PGA Tour's St. Jude Classic; Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia; and Greystone Golf & Country Club, the site of his Bruno's Classic victory.

Green retired as a touring professional in 2009.[1][6]

Cancer survivor

In the spring of 2003, Green was diagnosed with oral cancer after his dentist noticed an unusual swelling on the back of his tongue[3] after a routine cleaning and referred him to a medical specialist for evaluation. Green underwent a very difficult and painful regimen of radiation and chemotherapy treatments during the summer of 2003.[2] By the end of 2003, however, his cancer was in remission; his weight crept up to 165 pounds from a low of 143 pounds.[7]

Honors

Green was inducted into the Florida State Seminoles Hall of Fame in 1977, becoming the first golfer to be enshrined. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Southern Amateur Hall of Fame in 2006. He received the Champions Tour Comeback Player of the Year award in 2002 and 2004, and the American Cancer Life Inspiration Award in 2004. At the 2005 Masters Tournament, Green was presented with the Ben Hogan Award for continuing to be active in golf despite a serious illness. In 2007, he was recognized again when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.[1][3]

Death

Green died on June 19, 2018, aged 71, from complications due to throat cancer.[8][9]

Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

  • 1966 Southern Amateur
  • 1967 Alabama Amateur
  • 1968 Alabama Amateur, Cape Coral Invitational, Miami Invitational
  • 1969 Southern Amateur

Professional wins (29)

PGA Tour wins (19)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (17)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 May 16, 1971 Houston Champions International −4 (68-69-72-71=280) Playoff Don January
2 Apr 22, 1973 Tallahassee Open −11 (69-67-70-71=277) 1 stroke Jim Simons
3 Sep 23, 1973 B.C. Open −18 (69-65-65-67=266) 6 strokes Dwight Nevil
4 Feb 10, 1974 Bob Hope Desert Classic −19 (72-69-66-69-65=341) 2 strokes Bert Yancey
5 Mar 17, 1974 Greater Jacksonville Open −12 (70-67-68-71=276) 3 strokes John Mahaffey
6 Jun 9, 1974 IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic −17 (70-67-66-68=271) 4 strokes Hale Irwin
7 Nov 3, 1974 Walt Disney World
National Team Championship

(with Mac McLendon)
−33 (64-64-63-64=255) 1 stroke Sam Snead and J. C. Snead,
Ed Sneed and Bert Yancey
8 Sep 7, 1975 Southern Open −16 (68-66-66-64=264) 3 strokes John Schroeder
9 Mar 14, 1976 Doral-Eastern Open −18 (66-70-65-69=270) 6 strokes Mark Hayes, Jack Nicklaus
10 Mar 21, 1976 Greater Jacksonville Open (2) −12 (72-67-67-70=276) 2 strokes Miller Barber
11 Mar 28, 1976 Sea Pines Heritage Classic −10 (68-67-66-73=274) 5 strokes Jerry McGee
12 Jun 19, 1977 U.S. Open −2 (69-67-72-70=278) 1 stroke Lou Graham
13 Feb 5, 1978 Hawaiian Open −14 (69-66-68-71=274) Playoff Billy Kratzert
14 Mar 26, 1978 Heritage Classic (2) −7 (70-70-70-67=277) 3 strokes Hale Irwin
15 Feb 11, 1979 Hawaiian Open (2) −21 (68-67-63-69=267) 3 strokes Fuzzy Zoeller
16 Apr 29, 1979 First NBC New Orleans Open −15 (69-67-69-68=273) 1 stroke Frank Conner, Bruce Lietzke,
Steve Melnyk, Lee Trevino
17 Aug 16, 1981 Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open −20 (68-65-67-64=264) 1 stroke Bobby Clampett, Fred Couples,
Roger Maltbie
18 Oct 14, 1984 Southern Open (2) −15 (65-66-67-67=265) 6 strokes Rex Caldwell, Scott Hoch,
Corey Pavin
19 Aug 11, 1985 PGA Championship −6 (67-69-70-72=278) 2 strokes Lee Trevino

PGA Tour playoff record (2–3)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1971 Houston Champions International Don January Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1975 Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open Don Bies Lost to birdie on second extra hole
3 1978 Hawaiian Open Bill Kratzert Won with par on second extra hole
4 1978 World Series of Golf Gil Morgan Lost to par on first extra hole
5 1986 Doral-Eastern Open Andy Bean Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole

European Tour wins (3)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other European Tour (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Jun 19, 1977 U.S. Open −2 (69-67-72-70=278) 1 stroke Lou Graham
2 Aug 28, 1977 Carroll's Irish Open −5 (70-69-74-70=283) 1 stroke Ben Crenshaw
3 Aug 11, 1985 PGA Championship −6 (67-69-70-72=278) 2 strokes Lee Trevino

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Nov 30, 1975 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament −16 (67-70-67-68=272) 6 strokes Kosaku Shimada
2 Dec 1, 1985 Casio World Open +1 (72-76-67-74=289) Playoff Wayne Grady, Scott Hoch,
Nobumitsu Yuhara

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 1985 Casio World Open Wayne Grady, Scott Hoch,
Nobumitsu Yuhara
Won with par on second extra hole
Grady and Yuhara eliminated by par on first hole

Other wins (1)

Senior PGA Tour wins (4)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 May 3, 1998 Bruno's Memorial Classic −13 (70-69-64=203) 1 stroke Hale Irwin
2 Mar 12, 2000 Audi Senior Classic −19 (65-70-62=197) 5 strokes Jim Colbert, Dean Overtuff,
Doug Tewell
3 Sep 17, 2000 Kroger Senior Classic −10 (66-70-64=200) 1 stroke Larry Nelson
4 Aug 4, 2002 Lightpath Long Island Classic −14 (67-64-68=199) Playoff Hale Irwin

Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2000 Home Depot Invitational Bruce Fleisher Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 2002 Lightpath Long Island Classic Hale Irwin Won with birdie on seventh extra hole

Other senior wins (2)

Major championships

Wins (2)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1977U.S. Open1 shot lead−2 (69-67-72-70=278)1 stroke Lou Graham
1985PGA Championship3 shot lead−6 (67-69-70-72=278)2 strokes Lee Trevino

Results timeline

Tournament 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament CUT T22 T14 T9 T8 T19 T8 T2 T10
U.S. Open T55 CUT T26 T18 6 1 CUT 24
The Open Championship 4 T32 T5 3 T29 T41
PGA Championship T16 DQ T3 T30 T62 T26 T16
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament 4 T11 43 CUT T36 T35 T19 T34
U.S. Open T32 T37 CUT T60 T30 CUT T55 CUT CUT T9
The Open Championship T6 T23 CUT T19 CUT WD T52
PGA Championship T68 T27 CUT CUT T14 1 T41 T56 WD 66
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT CUT CUT T51 CUT CUT CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1982 and 1984 Open Championships)
DQ = disqualified
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01026111815
U.S. Open1001351912
The Open Championship0013461310
PGA Championship1012252414
Totals212815277451
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1974 Masters – 1978 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
The Players Championship T6 3 T12 T40 T9 T20 T8 T37 T6 CUT T66 CUT CUT T15 CUT CUT T46 CUT CUT WD WD CUT
  Top 10

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

References

  1. Green Satterfield, Carolyn. "Hubert Green". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  2. "World Golf Hall of Fame profile". Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  3. Kelly, Brent. "Hubert Green bio". ThoughtCo. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  4. Pells, Eddie (August 12, 2007). "Green recalls life-and-death 1977 win". USA Today. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  5. Garrity, John (July 28, 2008). "The Duel in the Sun: Watson vs. Nicklaus at Turnberry in 1977". Golf.com. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  6. Thompson, Ian (June 18, 2009). "Hubert Green's happy in Birmingham". Birmingham News.
  7. "Sports Figures – Hubert Green". Oral Cancer Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  8. "Green passes away at age 71". PGA Tour. June 20, 2018.
  9. Beall, Joel (June 20, 2018). "Hall of Famer Hubert Green passes at age 71 from throat cancer". Golf Digest.
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