DALLAS — Hunter Green, the son of
former professional golfer Ken Green, was found dead in his dorm room
at Southern Methodist University last week, authorities said.
SMU officials said the body of a
student was found about 12:30 p.m. Friday. The Dallas County Medical
Examiner's Office confirmed Tuesday that the student was Green, 21, a
sophomore. Campus officials said no foul play was involved and an
investigation is under way.
It's the second family tragedy in
eight months for Ken Green, who won five PGA Tour events between
1985-89 and played on the 1989 Ryder Cup team. Green had his lower
right leg amputated last summer after a recreational vehicle accident
in which his brother and girlfriend were killed.
Green acknowledged his son's death on his personal blog Tuesday.
"Well, today is another sad day," he
said. "I'm sorry to say that my youngest son, Hunter, has passed. His
journey in life has ended and I can't tell you how difficult
understanding this is."
Green earned about $3.7 million and
44 top 10 finishes on the regular tour before a bout with depression
nearly derailed his career. He has talked of critical children's voices
in his head that scuttled his concentration and left him contemplating
suicide as he struggled to stay on the tour.
He lost his Tour card in 2000 and coped with financial problems between 2005 and 2008, the year he turned 50.
Green joined the Champions Tour for
older players that year and played well. He was 54th on the money list
with $123,906 in 11 appearances in 2009 before the accident.
In June, Green was traveling in the
back of an RV driven by his brother when a tire blew out. The RV went
off the road, down an embankment and crashed into a large oak tree.
Fellow pros gathered for an event in
September to raise money to pay some of his medical and personal
expenses, including Fred Funk, Curtis Strange, Mark Calcavecchia and
Phil Blackmar. Green said then that he wanted to rejoin the Champions
Tour in 2010.