Green's Southern Hills victory really was a matter of life or death

TULSA, Okla. -- Hubert Green knows better than anyone how trivial it is to make golf tournaments seem like matters of life or death, to laud players for their courage and heroism under pressure-filled circumstances.

When he was on the cusp of his major victory at Southern Hills 30 years ago, you see, a life really did hang in the balance.

His.

His caddie, Shayne Grier, knew there was something wrong after Green snap-hooked his tee shot on the 15th hole in the final round of the 1977 U.S. Open on a steamy Sunday afternoon in Tulsa.

"He handed me the club and said, `Stay away from me and meet me at the ball,"' Grier recalled.

It seemed strange coming from a player who chatted and joked with his caddie all the time.

What Grier didn't know on that 15th tee box was that there had been a threat on Green's life. Police pulled Green aside before No. 15 and told him a woman had called and said someone was going to shoot him when he reached the 15th green.

"We had three options," Green said recently. "We could stop play, clear the course, I could play without a gallery. They could stop play and we come out the next day and finish up ... or we could continue play. I said, `Let's play. I can't be more nervous than I am right now. Let's get it over with."'

Police in pith helmets and riot gear walked down the fairways with Green the rest of the day, their hands resting on their guns. They asked the TV cameras covering the event to pan the crowd, hoping they'd find the sniper.

Green got a break despite his bad shot off the tee on No. 15. It hit a tree, bounced into the rough and left him with a clear shot to the green. He hit an 8-iron to about 30 feet from the hole.

Green told Grier to stay away from him while he was lining up his putt, but again, didn't tell him why.

"I got over the putt, I'm thinking, `Am I supposed to be shot?"' Green said, recalling the emotion on 15.

He saved par there and it was a strange sight. Only Green, Grier - who was holding the flag - and Frank Tatum, chairman of the USGA competition committee, were standing on the green. There were no scorers, no cameramen, no standard-bearers. Andy Bean, who was in the twosome with Green, had also been told to stand clear.