To say the professional golf career of Connecticut native Ken Green has been a roller coaster ride would not be an exaggeration.

"Last year was real brutal," Green said from his West Palm Beach, Fla., home. "I really didn't feel healthy until late in the summer. But I'm feeling better now and looking forward to getting back to where I was."

Green is one of Connecticut's best-ever golfers. After high school, he spent a year and a half at Palm Beach Junior College before setting out on a pro career. He made somewhat of a name for himself on the Florida mini tour, and followed with three unproductive years on the PGA Tour, winning a little over $70,000 from 1982 through 1984.

His breakthrough came with a victory in the 1995 Buick Open that served as a springboard for solid play over the next eight years. He won four more times: the 1986 International, 1988 Canadian Open and Greater Milwaukee Open and the 1989 Kmart Greater Greensboro Open in addition to two victories on foreign soil. His best earnings year came in 1988 when he won $779,181 to rank fourth on the PGA Tour money list. (For comparison, Tiger Woods finished fourth on the 1998 money list with $1.841 million in winnings.) He played on the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 1989.

During the mid-1990s, Green's personal life and health started to come apart. He went through two difficult divorces, battled shoulder and back problems and depression. His play deteriorated, and he finally lost his exempt status on the PGA Tour.

Last year was his worst season ever. Because he is in the PGA's "past champion" division, he was able to enter a limited number of tournaments. In 18 events, he made three cuts, withdrew twice and was disqualified three times. He earned a paltry $16,858.

Green's play in 1998 was hampered by a strange virus that found its way into his brain stem. The virus, which took three months to diagnose, affected his motor skills and resulted in such embarrassments as skulled chip shots and a round of 84 at the Buick Classic in June. After receiving treatment, Green's game started to show signs of recovering. He finished below par in three tournaments at the end of the season, including his best finish, a tie for 35th at the Greater Milwaukee Open.

Green played fairly well at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in November, but not well enough. Although he failed to finish in the top 35, which would have regained his exempt status on the PGA Tour, he nonetheless won full playing privileges on the Nike Tour with his 83rd place finish.

Feeling better and armed with an improved self image, Green said he's ready to mount a comeback. He said he will play in about 15 PGA Tour events and as many Nike events as he can this year.

Green said his fall from PGA Tour graces was difficult to endure. "Everything just snowballed. It seemed like everything was going wrong and I lost faith and confidence in myself. I'm not as fearful as I once was, and I think I'm pretty close to getting it back on a consistent basis," he said.

Green won a couple of mini-tour events in Florida after Q-School, giving him some needed encouragement for 1999. "I want to get back on the PGA Tour to show myself and some other people out there that I can do it. I lost my desire and motivation for a while, but I still love the game. I can't imagine my life without golf. I'm 40, but I'm not concerned with age because guys win in their forties," Green said.

Green, who has two sons, Ken Jr., 17, and Hunter, 10, spends time in Connecticut during the summer. "I enjoy my time in Danbury, visiting friends and playing Richter Park and Ridgefield Country Club. I've still got the same friends I had in high school. I haven't changed that much," he said.

Green also hopes to get back into golf course architecture. He designed courses in New Mexico and Michigan and worked on a redesign in West Palm Beach. His courses have won solid reviews for their player-friendly character.

"I got to design courses because I was doing well at the time," he explained. "I'm proud of the ones we did, and we built them without a Jack Nicklaus-budget. I'd love to get into that aspect of the business again."