Green's lower right leg to be amputated

Ken Green may be losing his leg, but not his love of golf.

"If it's not going to work, then take it off so I can play," Green told

close friend Kevin Richardson.

Green received news on Saturday at the University of Mississippi Medical

Center in Jackson, Miss., that his lower right leg, mangled in a car crash

on Monday, could not be saved and would be amputated on Monday.

Green was riding in the back of an RV driven by his brother Bill when a tire

blew out, sending the vehicle off Interstate 20 outside Meridian, Miss. Bill

Green, along with Ken's girlfriend Jeannie, and his dog, Nip, were killed in

the crash.

"Ken heard something (the blowout), he got up, and that was the last thing

he can remember," Richardson said.

Green had numerous tibia and fibula fractures, lost almost all of his calf,

had nerve and tendon damage that was irreparable. He had the option of going

through two years of surgeries to save the leg, but doctors told him he

would have a non-functional ankle and foot.

The Champions Tour golfer is expected to be hospitalized at least a week

after Monday's operation.

"He understands," Richardson said. "He wants to go forward with it. He wants to

play golf."

-- Tim Rosaforte