By Peter Owen
HE’S been around for so long that some golf fans may have forgotten Richard Green is a seriously good player, the winner of three events on the European Tour, a member of Australia’s World Cup team on three occasions, and once placed as high as 29 in official world golf rankings.
He’s contested all four of the majors, his best performance coming in 2007 when he tied for fourth in Padraig Harrington’s Open win at Carnoustie after shooting a course record 64 in the final round.
The 51-year-old Victorian is rightfully proud of what he’s already achieved in the game – but genuinely believes his best is still to come.
Late last year Green, the leftie with a picture-perfect swing, shot an 18-under-par 72-hole score of 266 at TPC Scottsdale to win the PGA Tour Champions Qualifying School, and earn a spot on the 2023 PGA Tour Champions.
“It means everything,” said an excited Green. “I’ve had a long career playing overseas in Europe and I’ve always wanted to play in America. I tried my best to get a card on the PGA Tour in the 2000s and just fell short all the time. It’s like a goal achieved.”
The Q-School win completed an outstanding 2022 for Green, whose entry into international senior golf was delayed a year because of restrictions imposed as a result of Covid-19.
But he quickly made up for lost time, winning twice on the European Senior Tour and twice on the Australian Legends Tour before jetting to the US for the Champions Tour qualifier.
His success there was no fluke – rather, the result of a decade long period of preparation for the meticulous Green.
He began thinking about joining the Tour Champions 10 years ago, and was determined he’d be as fit as any 50-year-old on the planet when the time came. He put himself through 10 years of intense fitness training in the gym, backed up by regularly lifting weights.
Green wasn’t looking to gain extra length or tinker with his swing – he just wanted to be physically at his peak when he arrived at senior golf.
Born in Melbourne, Green started playing golf with his dad in Queensland when he was six. He turned professional in 1992, playing firstly in Australia before joining the European Tour in 1996. He became the first left-hander to win on the European Tour in more than 20 years when he took the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic.
He’s won nine professional tournaments, including last year’s four senior events.
A keen motor sport fan, he owns a Porsche 911 racing car and competed in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Australian Grand Prix GT category. He once owned the Holden Commodore that Larry Perkins drove to victory in the Bathurst 1000 road race.
* Green will be joined on the Tour Champions this year by fellow Victorian David McKenzie, who played solidly in the Q-School qualifier to win one of the five cards on offer and return to the tour.