Byron Nelson
John Byron Nelson, Jr. (born February 4, 1912 in Waxahachie , Texas , † September 26, 2006 in Roanoke ) was an American professional golfer of the PGA TOUR between 1935 and 1946. The first major he won the Masters in 1937. In his Nelson then won a unique career in four other majors , the US Open in 1939, the PGA Championship in 1940 and 1945, and at the Masters in 1942. In total, he won 52 tournaments on the PGA TOUR. In 1945 he set two previously unreached records: he won a total of 18 US tournaments and was able to achieve 11 tournament victories in a row.
Because of his fine behavior, Nelson was called "Lord".
The Byron Nelson Golf Classic - currently known as "AT&T Byron Nelson" - has been one of the highlights of the PGA TOUR calendar since 1968 and, along with the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the only PGA tournament named after a professional golfer.
Byron Nelson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and received the Old Tom Morris Award in 1994 .
PGA Tour victories
- 1935 (1) New Jersey State Open
- 1936 (1) Metropolitan Open
- 1937 (2) Masters , Belmont Country Club Match Play
- 1938 (2) Thomasville Open, Hollywood Open
- 1939 (4) Phoenix Open , North and South Open, US Open , Western Open
- 1940 (3) Texas Open , Miami Open, PGA Championship
- 1941 (3) Greater Greensboro Open, Tom O'Shanter Open, Miami Open
- 1942 (3) Oakland Open, Masters , Tom O'Shanter Open
- 1944 (8) San Francisco Victory Open, Knoxville War Bond Tournament, New York Red Cross Tourney, Tom O'Shanter Open, Nashville Open, Texas Victory Open , San Francisco Open, Minneapolis Four-Ball
- 1945 (18) Phoenix Open , Corpus Christi Open, New Orleans Open, Charlotte Open, Greater Greensboro Open, Durham Open, Atlanta Open, Montreal Open, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Victory National Open, Tom O'Shanter Open, Canadian Open , Knoxville Invitational , Esmeralda Open, Seattle Open, Glen Garden Open, PGA Championship , Miami Four-Ball
- 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 in bold .
Others
The Orange County Choppers Teutuls honored Byron by building 3 choppers for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and auctioning them off for a good cause.
In 1944 and 1945, Nelson was honored with the Associated Press' Athlete of the Year award .
See also
Web links
(all english)
- Byron Nelson profile
- Byron Nelson at Golf Legends
- Byron Nelson, a Standout for His Remarkable Golf Swing and 1945 Season, Dies at 94 , New York Times , September 27, 2006.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nelson, Byron |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nelson, John Byron junior (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American golfer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 4, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Waxahachie , Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 26, 2006 |
| Place of death | Roanoke , Texas |