Byron Nelson
Personal Information | |
---|---|
Birth | February 4, 1912 Waxahachie, Texas |
Death | September 26, 2006 Roanoke, Texas |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Nationality | United States |
Career | |
Turned Pro | 1932 |
Retired | 1946 |
Professional wins | 63 (PGA Tour: 52, Other: 11) |
Best Results in Major Championships Wins: 5 | |
Masters | Won (2) 1937, 1942 |
U.S. Open | Won (1) 1939 |
British Open | 5th: 1937 |
PGA Championship | Won (2) 1940, 1945 |
Awards | |
PGA Tour Money Winner |
1944, 1945 |
Vardon Trophy | 1939 |
John Byron Nelson, Jr. (February 4 1912 – September 26 2006) was an American PGA Tour golfer between 1935 and 1946.
He and two other well known golfers of the time, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, were born within 6 months of each other in 1912.[1][2] Although he won many tournaments in the course of his relatively brief career, he is mostly remembered today for having won 11 consecutive tournaments and 18 total tournaments in 1945. He retired officially at the age of 34 to be a rancher, later becoming a commentator and lending his name to the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, the first PGA Tour event to be named for a professional golfer. In 1974, Byron Nelson received the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.[3]
On April 23, 2007 the Northwest Independent School District named their second high school Byron Nelson High School. This is the first high school named in honor of Byron Nelson, and is expected to open in 2009. The school will be located in Trophy Club, Texas, near Nelson's hometown of Roanoke.[4]
He became the second recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, and has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.[3] Nelson received the Congressional Gold Medal shortly after his death in 2006.
Early life and career
Born near Waxahachie, Texas, Byron Nelson was the son of Madge Allen Nelson and John Byron Nelson, Sr. His parents set a precedent for him not only in their long lives — Madge Nelson lived to age 98, and her husband to age 77 — but also in their religious commitment. Madge, who had grown up Baptist, was baptized in a Church of Christ at age 18, and John Byron Sr., raised Presbyterian, was baptized in a Church of Christ soon after meeting Madge. The senior Byron Nelson went on to serve as an elder in the Roanoke Church of Christ, and the younger Byron Nelson was a committed member of that congregation — even performing janitorial services there from time to time long after he became famous — he later placed his membership at the Hilltop Church of Christ in Roanoke from 1989 until 2000 when he moved his membership to the Richland Hills Church of Christ in North Richland Hills, Texas in later life.[5]
When Nelson was 11 years old, the family moved to Fort Worth, where he barely survived typhoid fever after losing nearly half his body weight to the disease, which also left him unable to sire children. Soon after his baptism at age 12, he started caddying at Glen Garden Country Club.[5] An article on Nelson in Sports Illustrated noted that initially caddies were not permitted to play at the club: "[H]e would often practice in the dark, putting his white handkerchief over the hole so he could find it in the darkness."[6] The club later changed its policy and sponsored the Glen Garden Caddie Tournament, where a 14-year-old Nelson beat fellow caddy and future golf great Ben Hogan by a single stroke after a nine-hole playoff.[5][6]
In 1934, Nelson was working as a golf pro in Texarkana, Texas, when he met future wife Louise Shofner, to whom he was married 50 years before she died in 1985 after two severe strokes.[5]
Championship heyday
After turning professional in 1932, Nelson waited until 1935 to post his first victory at the New Jersey State Open. He followed this up with a win at the Metropolitan Open the following year. He reportedly won this tournament with "$5 in my pocket".[7] Nelson won his first major event at The Masters in 1937, winning by two shots over Ralph Guldahl. During this tournament he shot a first-round 66, which stood as a record as the lowest round in the Masters history until Raymond Floyd had 65 in the 1976 event.[8] Nelson would subsequently win four more major tournaments, the U.S. Open in 1939, the PGA Championship in 1940 and 1945, and a second Masters in 1942. Nelson had a blood disorder that caused his blood to clot four times slower than normal, which kept him out of military service during World War II. It has sometimes mistakenly been reported that he had hemophilia; this is not true.[9]
In his career, Nelson won 52 professional events. Nelson won the Vardon Trophy in 1939.[10] He played on the U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 1937 and 1947 and was non-playing captain of the team in 1965.[10] After 1946, Nelson curtailed his schedule although he continued to make regular appearances at The Masters as a ceremonial starter for many years.[10]
Record-breaking year
In 1945 Nelson enjoyed a record-breaking year, winning 18 tournaments including 11 in a row.[10] Both records are still yet to be beaten. Nelson however lost many chances at major championships during this year, and previous years, because of the war, and only won the 1945 PGA Championship.[10] There has been debate to how impressive these results are, as it was believed to be a weakened tour due to the war.[11] But in reality many of the leading golfers of that time, including Sam Snead and Ben Hogan still played a full or at least part schedule that year.[11] Both Snead and Hogan won multiple times on the tour in 1945.[11] During this year Nelson finished second another 7 times, set a record for the scoring average that was only recently broken (68.33, broken by Tiger Woods in 2000), a record 18 hole score (62), and a record 72-hole score (259, which beat the previous record set by Ben Hogan earlier that year).[11] This year is now known as the greatest single year by a player on the PGA Tour, as Arnold Palmer said: "I don't think that anyone will ever exceed the things that Byron did by winning 11 tournaments in a row in one year."[12] Even more recently, Tiger Woods referred to the year as "one of the greatest years in the history of the sport"[12]
Cut streak
Nelson's record of 113 consecutive cuts made is second only to Tiger Woods' 142. It should be noted that the PGA Tour defines a "cut" as receiving a paycheck, even if an event has no cut per se. In Nelson's era, only the top 20 in a tournament received a check. In reality, Nelson's "113 consecutive cuts made" are representative of his unequaled 113 consecutive top 20 tournament finishes.
Death and legacy
Nelson died Tuesday, September 26, 2006, at the age of 94.[13] According to a family friend, Nelson died at his Roanoke, Texas home around noon. He was survived by Peggy, his wife of nearly 20 years, sister Margaret Ellen Sherman, and brother Charles, a professor emeritus at Abilene Christian University, where Byron Nelson had been a trustee and benefactor. Nelson met his second wife, the former Peggy Simmons, when she volunteered at the Bogie Busters celebrity golf tournament in Dayton, Ohio in 1985.[14]
Nelson was often referred to as "Lord Byron," after the English poet by that name, in recognition of his reputation for gentlemanly conduct, a nickname given him by Atlanta sports journalist O. B. Keeler.[13] Many of his obituaries referenced this reputation.[15][16]
Several of the obituary columns mentioned Nelson's Christian beliefs, and one widely quoted column by PGA.com's Grant Boone drew a direct connection between these beliefs and Nelson's positive reputation: "Byron Nelson wasn't randomly respectable, not generically good. He was a follower of Christ, and his discipleship dictated his decency, demeanor, decision-making, and the way he dealt with people. ... But Nelson never brandished his faith as a weapon, choosing instead to extend an empty and open hand in friendship to all comers. And did they ever come. Wherever the debate over which golfer is the best of all time ends, Byron Nelson was the game's finest man, hands down."[17]
Posthumous honors
State Highway 114 Business through Roanoke is named Byron Nelson Boulevard, in honor of Nelson's residence; the street he lived on was recently changed to Eleven Straight Lane in honor of his 1945 record. In Irving, Texas a street immediately adjacent to the Four Seasons Resort and Club, where the EDS Byron Nelson Championship is played each year, is named Byron Nelson Lane. A street in Southlake, Texas, Byron Nelson Parkway, was named in his honor, as was a street in a residential neighborhood in McAllen, Texas.
On October 16, 2006, President George W. Bush approved H.R. 4902 awarding Byron Nelson the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award that can be bestowed by the Legislative Branch of the United States government. The resolution cites Mr. Nelson's "significant contributions to the game of golf as a player, a teacher, and a commentator." Representative Michael C. Burgess (R-TX) sponsored the resolution, originally proposed March 8, 2006, well before Nelson's death.[18] Senate Resolution 602 memorialized Nelson on September 29, 2006.
PGA Tour wins (52)
- 1935 (1) New Jersey State Open
- 1936 (1) Metropolitan Open
- 1937 (2) The Masters, Belmont Country Club Match Play
- 1938 (2) Thomasville Open, Hollywood Open
- 1939 (4) Phoenix Open, North and South Open, U.S. Open, Western Open
- 1940 (3) Texas Open, Miami Open, PGA Championship
- 1941 (3) Greater Greensboro Open, Tam O'Shanter Open, Miami Open
- 1942 (3) Oakland Open, The Masters, Tam O'Shanter Open
- 1944 (8) San Francisco Victory Open, Knoxville War Bond Tournament, New York Red Cross Tourney, Minneapolis Four-Ball (with Harold "Jug" McSpaden), Tam O'Shanter Open, Nashville Open, Texas Victory Open, San Francisco Open
- 1945 (18) Phoenix Open, Corpus Christi Open, New Orleans Open, Miami Four-Ball (with Harold "Jug" McSpaden), Charlotte Open, Greater Greensboro Open, Durham Open, Atlanta Open, Montreal Open, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Victory National Open, PGA Championship, Tam O'Shanter Open, Canadian Open, Knoxville Invitational, Esmeralda Open, Seattle Open, Glen Garden Open
- 1946 (6) Los Angeles Open, San Francisco Open, New Orleans Open, Houston Open, Columbus Invitational, Chicago Victory National Open
- 1951 (1) Bing Crosby Pro-Am
Major championships are shown in bold.
Other wins (11)
- 1937 Central Pennsylvania Open
- 1939 Massachusetts Open
- 1940 Ohio Open
- 1941 Ohio Open, Seminole Pro-Am
- 1942 Toledo Open
- 1943 Kentucky Open
- 1944 New York Open, Beverly Hills Open
- 1948 Texas PGA Championship
- 1955 French Open
Major Championships
Wins (5)
Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runners Up |
1937 | The Masters | 4 shot deficit | -5 (66-72-75-70=283) | 2 strokes | Ralph Guldahl |
1939 | U.S. Open | 5 shot deficit | +8 (72-73-71-68=284) | Playoff 1 | Craig Wood, Denny Shute |
1940 | PGA Championship | N/A | 1 up | 1 stroke | Sam Snead |
1942 | The Masters (2) | 2 shot lead | -6 (68-67-72-73=280) | Playoff 2 | Ben Hogan |
1945 | PGA Championship (2) | N/A | 4 & 3 | 4 strokes | Sam Byrd |
Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
1 Defeated Craig Wood and Denny Shute in 36-hole playoff - Nelson (68-70=138), Wood (68-73=141), Shute (76) (eliminated after first 18)
2 Defeated Ben Hogan in 18-hole playoff - Nelson (69), Hogan (70)
Results timeline
Tournament | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | DNP | T9 | T13 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
U.S. Open | CUT | T32 | CUT | T20 | T5 | 1 |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | 5 | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | QF | QF | F |
Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | 3 | 2 | 1 | NT | NT | NT | T7 | T2 | T8 | T8 |
U.S. Open | T5 | T17 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T2 | DNP | DNP | CUT |
The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | 1 | F | SF | NT | F | 1 | QF | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | T4 | T8 | T24 | T29 | T12 | T10 | 39 | T16 | T20 | WD |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T28 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T32 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | CUT | T32 | T33 | CUT | CUT | T15 | CUT |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for Top 10.
See also
- Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
- Golfers with most major championship wins
- Most PGA Tour wins in a year
- Longest PGA Tour win streaks
- Byron Nelson Award
- Harold "Jug" McSpaden
Notes and References
- ↑ Kelley, Brent. Biography of golfer Ben Hogan. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ↑ Kelley, Brent. Biography of golfer Sam Snead. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 World Golf Hall of Fame Profile: Byron Nelson. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
- ↑ A Look at Northwest ISD's Second High School. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Legendary golfer Byron Nelson, a faithful church member, dies at 94, by Bobby Ross, Jr., The Christian Chronicle Cite error: Invalid
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tag; name "cchron" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Grace, style and morality: Nelson will be known as 'legend who will never fade', obituary by Art Stricklin, Sports Illustrated, September 26, 2006 (retrieved November 2, 2006) Cite error: Invalid
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tag; name "siobit" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Kessler, Peter. Golf's great gentleman looks back — and ahead (interview). Golf Magazine. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
- ↑ Townsend, Brad. A course for success (Timeline). The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
- ↑ Nelson, Byron and Palmer, Arnold (1993). How I Played the Game. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 0-8783-3819-5.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 About Golf: Biography of Golfer Byron Nelson. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Kelley, Brent. Top 10 Individual Seasons in Men's Golf History. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Byron Nelson: The Sand Trap. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Byron Nelson, Golf Champion, Is Dead at 94, by Richard Goldstein, The New York Times, September 26, 2006 (retrieved November 1, 2006)
- ↑ Nelson obituary in the Dayton Daily News
- ↑ Legendary memories: Byron Nelson was larger than life, and I was lucky to call him a friend, Jeff Rude, "Our Take" (column), Golf Week
- ↑ Death of Nelson shuts door on greatest era: ‘Lord Byron’ embodied the essence of the game like no one else, by Mike Celizic (column), MSNBC.com, October 3, 2006 (retrieved November 2, 2006)
- ↑ Full Nelson ("Grant Me This" column), Grant Boone, PGA.com, September 27, 2006 (retrieved November 2, 2006)
- ↑ H.R. 4902: Byron Nelson Congressional Gold Medal Act
External links
- Memorial Page for Byron Nelson, Hilltop Church of Christ, Roanoke, Texas (includes biographical sketch, quotations, photographs, and links to obituaries)
- Byron Nelson profile
- Byron Nelson profile at Golf Legends
- EDS Byron Nelson Championship Web site - golf tournament named after Byron Nelson
- 2006 EDS Byron Nelson Championship Media Guide - contains biographical information
- Golf legend Nelson dies, Dallas Morning News, 26 Sep 2006
- American Golf Legend Nelson Dies BBC Sport, 26 Sep 2006
Preceded by: Gunder Hägg |
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year 1944, 1945 |
Succeeded by: Glenn Davis |
1934 Horton Smith · 1935 Gene Sarazen · 1936 Horton Smith · 1937 Byron Nelson · 1938 Henry Picard · 1939 Ralph Guldahl · 1940 Jimmy Demaret · 1941 Craig Wood · 1942 Byron Nelson · 1943-45 Cancelled due to World War II · 1946 Herman Keiser · 1947 Jimmy Demaret · 1948 Claude Harmon · 1949 Sam Snead · 1950 Jimmy Demaret · 1951 Ben Hogan · 1952 Sam Snead · 1953 Ben Hogan · 1954 Sam Snead · 1955 Cary Middlecoff · 1956 Jack Burke, Jr · 1957 Doug Ford · 1958 Arnold Palmer · 1959 Art Wall, Jr. · 1960 Arnold Palmer · 1961 Gary Player · 1962 Arnold Palmer · 1963 Jack Nicklaus · 1964 Arnold Palmer · 1965-66 Jack Nicklaus · 1967 Gay Brewer · 1968 Bob Goalby · 1969 George Archer · 1970 Billy Casper · 1971 Charles Coody · 1972 Jack Nicklaus · 1973 Tommy Aaron · 1974 Gary Player · 1975 Jack Nicklaus · 1976 Raymond Floyd · 1977 Tom Watson · 1978 Gary Player · 1979 Fuzzy Zoeller · 1980 Severiano Ballesteros · 1981 Tom Watson · 1982 Craig Stadler · 1983 Severiano Ballesteros · 1984 Ben Crenshaw · 1985 Bernhard Langer · 1986 Jack Nicklaus · 1987 Larry Mize · 1988 Sandy Lyle · 1989-90 Nick Faldo · 1991 Ian Woosnam · 1992 Fred Couples · 1993 Bernhard Langer · 1994 José María Olazábal· 1995 Ben Crenshaw · 1996 Nick Faldo · 1997 Tiger Woods · 1998 Mark O'Meara · 1999 José María Olazábal · 2000 Vijay Singh · 2001-02 Tiger Woods · 2003 Mike Weir · 2004 Phil Mickelson · 2005 Tiger Woods · 2006 Phil Mickelson · 2007 Zach Johnson· 2008 Trevor Immelman· 2009 Ángel Cabrera· 2010 Phil Mickelson· 2011 Charl Schwartzel· 2012 Bubba Watson· 2013 Adam Scott· 2014 Bubba Watson· 2015 Jordan Spieth· |
1895 Horace Rawlins · 1896 James Foulis · 1897 Joe Lloyd · 1898 Fred Herd · 1899 Willie Smith · 1900 Harry Vardon · 1901 Willie Anderson · 1902 Laurie Auchterlonie · 1903-04-05 Willie Anderson · 1906 Alex Smith · 1907 Alec Ross · 1908 Fred McLeod · 1909 George Sargent · 1910 Alex Smith · 1911-12 John McDermott · 1913 Francis Ouimet · 1914 Walter Hagen · 1915 Jerome Travers · 1916 Chick Evans · 1917-18 Cancelled due to World War I · 1919 Walter Hagen · 1920 Ted Ray · 1921 Jim Barnes · 1922 Gene Sarazen · 1923 Bobby Jones · 1924 Cyril Walker · 1925 Willie Macfarlane · 1926 Bobby Jones · 1927 Tommy Armour · 1928 Johnny Farrell · 1929-30 Bobby Jones · 1931 Billy Burke · 1932 Gene Sarazen · 1933 Johnny Goodman · 1934 Olin Dutra · 1935 Sam Parks, Jr. · 1936 Tony Manero · 1937-38 Ralph Guldahl · 1939 Byron Nelson · 1940 Lawson Little · 1941 Craig Wood · 1942-45 Cancelled due to World War II · 1946 Lloyd Mangrum · 1947 Lew Worsham · 1948 Ben Hogan · 1949 Cary Middlecoff · 1950-51 Ben Hogan · 1952 Julius Boros · 1953 Ben Hogan · 1954 Ed Furgol · 1955 Jack Fleck · 1956 Cary Middlecoff · 1957 Dick Mayer · 1958 Tommy Bolt · 1959 Billy Casper · 1960 Arnold Palmer · 1961 Gene Littler · 1962 Jack Nicklaus · 1963 Julius Boros · 1964 Ken Venturi · 1965 Gary Player · 1966 Billy Casper · 1967 Jack Nicklaus · 1968 Lee Trevino · 1969 Orville Moody · 1970 Tony Jacklin · 1971 Lee Trevino · 1972 Jack Nicklaus · 1973 Johnny Miller · 1974 Hale Irwin · 1975 Lou Graham · 1976 Jerry Pate · 1977 Hubert Green · 1978 Andy North · 1979 Hale Irwin · 1980 Jack Nicklaus · 1981 David Graham · 1982 Tom Watson · 1983 Larry Nelson · 1984 Fuzzy Zoeller · 1985 Andy North · 1986 Raymond Floyd · 1987 Scott Simpson · 1988-89 Curtis Strange · 1990 Hale Irwin · 1991 Payne Stewart · 1992 Tom Kite · 1993 Lee Janzen · 1994 Ernie Els · 1995 Corey Pavin · 1996 Steve Jones · 1997 Ernie Els · 1998 Lee Janzen · 1999 Payne Stewart · 2000 Tiger Woods · 2001 Retief Goosen · 2002 Tiger Woods · 2003 Jim Furyk · 2004 Retief Goosen · 2005 Michael Campbell · 2006 Geoff Ogilvy · 2007 Ángel Cabrera · 2008 Tiger Woods · 2009 Lucas Glover · 2010 Graeme McDowell · 2011 Rory McIlroy · 2012 Webb Simpson · 2013 Justin Rose · 2014 Martin Kaymer · 2015 Jordan Spieth |
Matchplay era |
Persondata | |
---|---|
NAME | Nelson, Byron |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nelson, John Byron Jr. |
SHORT DESCRIPTION | Professional golfer |
DATE OF BIRTH | February 4, 1912 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Waxahachie, Texas |
DATE OF DEATH | September 26, 2006 |
PLACE OF DEATH | Roanoke, Texas |
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