After a freshman campaign in which his best finish was ninth place, Green knew he still had plenty of room to grow to compete with some of the best amateur golfers in America.
“Before I even came here, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t even know if I can win a college event,’” he said. “My first college event I shot even par and I tied 20th. Back home, you shoot even par you’re top 10, top 5. It’s just a different ball game here, I feel like.”
Now Green has emerged as one of the best golfers in UNM history, and the win that helped him onto that path didn’t happen on U.S. soil. Green, who is from Kuala Lumpur, won the Malaysian Amateur Open in the summer of 2012, becoming the first Malaysian to win the event since 1997.
“It definitely was a big stepping stone for me,” Green said. “Obviously, it made the country proud, made my family proud, and most of all made myself proud.”
Green then started to pile up wins at UNM. Later in 2012, Green won his first collegiate tournament at the William H. Tucker event held annually at UNM’s Championship Golf Course.
In 2014 the senior golfer broke UNM’s record for most individual titles in a career after winning the Tucker for the third straight time. Since then, Green has won two more tournaments and has eight victories in his career. His latest win came at the Hootie at Bulls Bay in Awendaw, South Carolina on March 31.
“The Tucker is another one. To win three in a row is pretty lucky to do that,” Green said. “I played well and I just like it here. It just clicks with me pretty good.”
Green was recognized as one of the top golfers in America this past week when he was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award — the most prestigious award in golf. Green is also rated the No. 9 golfer in the world amateur golf rankings.
“He’s come a long way,” head coach Glen Millican said. “He was a great player when we got him; he’s just progressively gotten better each year. He learned a lot, I think, his freshman year. He used that experience and has developed his game. He’s become a very complete golfer.”
Green said Millican has helped him bring his game to the next level. He also mentioned how Millican helped him fix an anger issue that he had his freshman year.
“Glen taught me how to be more mature and smarter,” Green said. “How to play golf the smarter and more mature way. I would have to say he’s made a big impact for sure.”
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Green, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds, said he will graduate this summer with his liberal arts degree after a few more classes. After he graduates, Green said he will turn pro and play professionally full-time.
“I always knew I was going to turn pro. It’s another stepping stone in my life. I just feel like we take it step by step,” Green said. “Once this is over, I’ll change my gears and go full golf. I really want to play golf for the rest of my life, and that’s what I intend to do.”
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
