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LIBERTY MUTUAL LEGENDS OF GOLFApril 21, 2010Ken GreenMike ReidSAVANNAH, GEORGIA DAVE SENKO: I'd like to welcome Ken Green and Mike Reid here to the interview room. Back playing for the second year in a row. Maybe Ken, if you can get us started. Just talk about - you played last year - maybe just looking back, how this came about for the second year here. KEN GREEN: Well, I mean, obviously I think most of us know what's happened. I don't know what it was, maybe three, four months ago, I called Mike to see if he wanted to play again. I thought I would be ready to play. You know, some other things happened during that stretch. I kind of went in a dead zone after I lost my son, Hunter, and then just had some other health and leg problems. So I haven't done a whole a lot. I told Mike about a month ago, you know, I'm not very good. You know, if you want to get another partner I have no problem with that. I totally understand. God bless him, he said, Absolutely not. He wouldn't think about playing without me. That meant a lot, because whether we're out here trying to enjoy it and have fun and all that, we're still playing for money. He's basically saying, you know, unless he goes on some monster tear, which I expect he will, you know, he could be, you know, throwing some cash away. DAVE SENKO: Mike? MIKE REID: I think to go back a little farther than that, it was about a year and two months ago that I was looking for a partner in this event. I played here before with Johnny Miller, and Johnny said that his body and his golf swing didn't seem to be seeing eye to eye. 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. So he called me, and that's what started our partnership last year. So it wasn't long after his accident -- I don't know if you remember the text -- I sent him I guess probably a month after. I said, We can beat most of these teams on three legs, so get your game ready. I had been planning for it for that long. I think as Ken mentioned, we're realists and yet competitors. It's easy to say fellowship is more important than championship. We're gonna go out and do the best we can. Over and above that, we're gonna have fun. It's good to get together again and be on the golf course. DAVE SENKO: Ken, what's been your playing schedule? I know you played a couple events in the last month or so. Just catch us up on that. KEN GREEN: My first event was a little mini tour in West Palm that I actually had to withdraw because my leg went ballistic. Then the following week I played in another little -- you know, I think it was called the Coors Light Open in Fort Meyers. I did finish. I shot 73, 77, and I putted really well to do that. Then after that, you know, that was maybe a month and a half ago, and I've literally probably played two rounds. I got really sick and ended up with pneumonia in the hospital. So I haven't done a whole a lot. I worked with Peter Kostis last Thursday and Friday in Hilton Head. He's my teacher. You guys may know him as the announcer, but he's been my teacher for 27 years. We're making some changes that are totally, you know, foreign to me, complete opposite. When you've done a certain move for 30 some odd years and he says, Okay, we're gonna do the opposite, it's not really easy. I mean, that's -- well, no, I won't say that joke. You could imagine how difficult it would be to try to change something, and on top of that be good or halfway decent. So it'll be interesting. I think I can play some holes well, and some holes, if the course is a little soft, which I was a little bummed out when I whacked a few shots yesterday. But, you know, like he's saying, you instinctively want to compete and play well. So I do want to have fun and enjoy it, because I don't know how many times I'm gonna get the chance to do this again. So I want to compete, but there's also the part of you that says, you know, I mean -- well, some of you may or may not know, I have a tendency to be -- show my anger on the golf course at times, so we'll see what happens. You know, I'm very much -- you know, I'm usually not too happy if things don't go too well. DAVE SENKO: Before we open up for questions, put your hand up for the mic. We're recording this. If you have a question, raise your hand. Q. Can you talk about how the format of this event maybe makes it a better way for you to come back to the tour? KEN GREEN: Well, it's an ideal place to start, because literally, I mean, there's gonna be times that I'm just gonna pick it off. I mean, if I get certain lies, it could be like in a bunker sometimes that you end up with, you know, the hills or the down thing, I literally can't -- to this point, have not figured out how to do it. So the ability to say, you know, I guess that's the theory, they say, play hard parts. He'll get that, you know, I hope maybe 15, 16 times through the day. (Laughter.) Q. No pressure. KEN GREEN: No, I can handle two holes, Mike. MIKE REID: The way I look at it, we've got everything to gain and nothing to lose. I think, frankly, the other teams are gonna be feeling the pressure. Think what they're gonna have to endure if we beat anybody. (Laughter.) KEN GREEN: I know this is a terrible thing to say, but that's what I do, so... Actually, I've been looking at the thing and thinking, okay, maybe we got a shot with that team or maybe we can handle that, you know. But, you know, it's gonna be what it's gonna be. The first hole I will be absolutely petrified. I was telling someone just a little while ago that those bunkers on the right that we used to be able to carry without a problem, I can't carry now on No. 1. You've got to go to the skinny part of fairway. The smart play is just to hit a 3-wood, but I refuse to tee up a ball that low on my first swing. It's got to be tee'd up higher so I know the driver will make contact. It might not go straight, but I refuse to hit the 3-wood on that hole. I'm petrified of that low little skidder top that we might pull off. Q. Ken, just overall, what is the significance of this event? KEN GREEN: Well, I mean, there's probably two things that stick out for me. One is competing again. I mean, you know, 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, you, now, Go out and play. So that is No. 1. You know, earlier, or maybe just five months ago, I was thinking that I should only do it if I feel like I can honestly try to play some good rounds. I have started realizing -- you know, there's been numerous things that 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. So those are probably the two things that are -- you know, that I stick out at the moment. Then the other is desperately trying to make some birdies for Mike. Q. I know the answer, but I'd rather hear it from you. Did you ever doubt you would be out here again? KEN GREEN: I can honestly say I did not. From the day I said, Cut my leg, there was no doubt in my mind I was gonna play. Now, unfortunately, the mind thinks differently than the body. So since I, quote, started playing and hitting some shots that I never hit, because the body just is not doing what you're telling it to do, that's put some doubt, you know, some concern. But I still believe that I can do this and I can pull this off. It's just gonna be a little longer time than I probably would have liked. Now, realistically it hasn't been that long. You know, how we are as humans, or at least this human. I'm pretty impatient. That's probably why I get so angry on the golf course. Q. Ken, you've come a long way. KEN GREEN: Yeah, it's been quite a struggle, you know, in good news, bad news part of it. But it's been a journey. Sometimes that's what the Big Guy does. I can honestly tell that 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. Q. (Question regarding swing changes.) KEN GREEN: Well, probably the hardest thing that I'm having to deal with is I've always kind of pulled down with my left side on the downswing. He is actually wanting me to have my right side do the work now, and I have to clear my hips so much more than I used to do. The idea of the right-hand taking over and trying to flip it to basically try to get more power, that's the hardest thing that I'm having to deal with. Q. Ken, I talked to you at Augusta on the phone, and you had given me a laundry list of all your ailments and how you were doing. Can you update us if something is getting towards 100% with all the different ailments and aches and pains you've had, where things stand right now? KEN GREEN: Okay. Well, I still think I'm incredibly good looking. (Laughter.) Other than that, you know, my good leg is my bad leg. The ankle has not healed up real well. My wrist has gone haywire. The nerve in my right leg is still, you know, not what I -- is still pretty nasty at times. But, you know, I've actually had a pretty good week. I'm hoping -- I can get through the week if the nerve pain doesn't shoot up. The rest just creates bad golf swings. The left ankle not being able to really put pressure on it and turn on it is tricky. That's another hard thing about the swing changes right now. That ankle is not where it should be. It's part of the reason I only hit it 245 or so. Q. (No microphone.) KEN GREEN: Continues? He finished second last week. If he doesn't win this week, it's all his fault. (Laughter.) MIKE REID: I hang around him enough I feel great. Q. At an event like this as opposed to the other ones, there's a lot of peripheral stuff, playing in Pro-Ams, autographs. Is that going to be part of the challenge, or maybe a greater motivation for you this week? KEN GREEN: No, I mean, that's -- it's wonderful when someone comes up to me and says that I'm inspiring them. Because as I've said before, you know, Ken Green and inspiration don't usually tie hand and hand. So it's wonderful that maybe I can do someone some good. You know, whether it's just a smile or whether it helps him get through his day or maybe reanalyze some of his problems, whether they're emotional, physical, you know, that's a wonderful thing if you can do that for somebody else. Q. (No microphone.) KEN GREEN: Yeah, no, absolutely. Every time they do that, it does me good and gives me a little boost of energy to, you know, to do the fight, to get through the week. Q. Ken, have you have also gotten a boost of energy from maybe seeing colleagues who you hadn't seen in a while, or maybe only talked to on the phone? KEN GREEN: Yes. As I've stated, my golf is not so good. The pros that I've talked to since I've seen here, every one of them has literally said, It doesn't mean a damn thing. It's just great that you're here. For them to say that has really eased my tension level. I was really - and still am - somewhat, but nowhere near as much as I was scared that I was doing the game golf an injustice. Every one of them has said, It's just great that you're out here and playing. You're fighting the fight. Just go out and just do it. Q. Ken, I can't imagine being a father myself what you're going through. How did you pull yourself together to be at this point right now where you feel confident enough to come back out here and play? KEN GREEN: You know, I mean, obviously it was a brutal hit to the body and the brain. When I lost Jeanie, who I loved dearly, and my brother, Bill, and my dog -- it sounds crazy, but my dog meant as much as anything. It's a tough pill swallow. Then you're starting to make progress and turning it around and starting to think about playing golf and doing -- fighting the battle. You know, that phone call was just -- you know, you just don't imagine that. As a parent, it's something that never crosses your mind that you're gonna lose your child. Just doesn't. I don't know, to be honest with you, how I managed to say, Okay I'm gonna still keep fighting the fight and go out there and try and play golf. I don't know. I'm assuming it's just -- I don't know. I mean, it's supposed to be, and I've got to keep doing it. That's what the Big Guy wants me to do. You do the battle. But it's a tough one. There's a lot of crying moments, trust me. Q. Were you tempted at any time to throw a pity party? KEN GREEN: No. Never even crossed my mind. Doesn't serve a purpose. You know, I guess some people need to do that, need to go through whatever program, you know, how many steps they say when you have all these things. But to me, it just never crossed my mind. You have to fight the fight. How come your badge is so much bigger than everybody else's? (Laughter.) Q. Do you have any recollection at all of the accident? KEN GREEN: I have no -- I remember getting in the RV in Shreveport, and that's literally all I remember. I'm glad I don't remember, because it must have been an awful -- I don't know from how long it took from when the tire blew to when we went screaming into the tree. It couldn't have been -- I'm very, very glad that I don't remember. Q. Are you generally nervous stepping up to the first tee? KEN GREEN: No. Q. Never? KEN GREEN: Well, I'm not gonna say never. It's a nervous that you feel like you can control. You know, you know you got the bubbles running but you're okay with it. So it's the first shot, and sometimes you hit a good one and sometimes you don't. Never have I been nervous three days before the first round, I can tell you that. Q. What are you afraid of? KEN GREEN: You know, just not playing well enough and hitting some really bad shots. You know, dragging Mike down into the pit. I can't even remember the last time I played with Price and O'Meara, but they're in for a hell of a ride. Q. I have a serious question and some lighter questions. In what town did the accident actually take place? You were coming back from Austin, Texas? KEN GREEN: We were heading to Greensboro, North Carolina. It was just outside of Meridian, Mississippi. I don't know officially the city it was supposed to have happened in, but it's real close to Meridian. Q. I heard that maybe you should get some credit for some of the more fun traditions at the Masters, like skipping the ball across the water and maybe letting your kids putt out. Other people have maybe gotten credit. Should you be getting credit for that? KEN GREEN: I mean, one hates to toot one's own horn, but damn right I should. (Laughter.) I actually got letters from Hord Hardin. He and I didn't see eye to eye. I'll never forget, he says, We don't do that here at Augusta. I don't remember the other part of the letter. I just always remember that. It was in reference to skipping on 16 and the kids, letting the kids come out on the par-3 contest. You know, now they make up the uniforms for the kids, so it's good to see that they finally see my way. Q. (No microphone.) KEN GREEN: Well, if they have half brain, it wouldn't be a bad idea. Don't tell Finchem I said that, though. (Laughter.) Q. Do you have a desperation, a target date, anything of playing a standard 54-hole tournament? KEN GREEN: 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. Used to be the old BC Open. I've always liked that course. Doesn't have too many -- it's relatively flat. That's probably where I'm hoping to fire it up. Q. (No microphone.) KEN GREEN: Realistically, I'm hoping that I can possibly -- you mean in June or at the end when this is all over? I'm hoping -- you know, I don't think I'll ever be able to finish in the top 30 and keep my status, because, you know, I don't have any. I would be tickled if I could somewhat maybe just compete, you know, a top 10 or maybe even compete to win one day. But, you know, again, I don't know if that's the brain's talking or whether it's realistic. Only some time will tell. When I get a little stronger, and if I can get another 15 yards, then I have a chance. It's just consistency. I need a lot of luck in terms of lies. Q. (No microphone.) KEN GREEN: You know, the uphill lies, the downhill lies, anything side is very hard. The difference, or one of the differences, is I literally have to think so hard to pull off a swing right now. Whereas normally, when you're playing you just kind of go play. Then when you try to hit one of those, when the leg gets stuck, you know, just anything happens. It's anything. Q. Sorry we're leaving you out of this, Mike. Ken, the reaction to the tour's ruling on your exempt status and you wanted to get the 13 months back, there seems to be an outpouring of support for you. How does that work for you? I guess it's not gonna change, but does it help? KEN GREEN: It's been wonderful that so many people have agreed that I've gotten the short end of the stick. I don't want to really -- they made their decision. He doesn't change his mind too often. So I don't agree with it, but I have to go on and continue. I mean, there's just no other way around it. Q. One more to Mike. Hal Sutton threw one of his Jackie Burkeisms out a minute ago about Mike's always wanting more. No matter what you've got, you're always looking for more, more, more, more. He thought just Ken being here and trying to return was a good example for everyone to really take stock of what they have. Any thoughts on that? And what way is this inspiring, a one-man fight, if you will? MIKE REID: I think if you can't answer that, you missed the message. Q. (No microphone.) MIKE REID: We'll work collectively. KEN GREEN: I think he's talking about you myself (laughter.) MIKE REID: No, I feel strongly about that, as is often the case in life. It's easy to say, Boy this is great for Ken. This is really gonna lift his spirits. 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. You know, we enjoyed - my wife and I enjoyed meeting Jeanie and getting to know she and Ken and his brother and get to know a little more about his life. We're all pretty good friends out here, but until you're in the circumstances of playing a tournament like this together, it's more than just a hi-and-bye relationship. We really enjoyed that last year. To see the reservoirs of strength that he's had to draw from since a year ago to now, it lifts all of us. That's the message that I hope we don't miss this week. DAVE SENKO: Okay. Everyone okay? Ken and Mike, thank you. End of FastScripts |
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