Byron Nelson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Byron Nelson
c. 1944
Personal information
Full name	John Byron Nelson Jr.
Nickname	Lord Byron
Born	(1912-02-04)February 4, 1912 Waxahachie, Texas, U.S.
Died	September 26, 2006(2006-09-26) (aged 94) Roanoke, Texas, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Nationality	United States
Spouse	Louise Shofner Nelson (1913–1985) (m. 1934–1985) Peggy Simmons Nelson (b. 1944) (m. 1986–2006)
Career
Turned professional	1932
Retired	1946
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	64
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	52 (6th all time)
Other	12
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 5)
The Masters Tournament	Won: 1937, 1942
U.S. Open	Won: 1939
The Open Championship	5th: 1937
PGA Championship	Won: 1940, 1945
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1974
Vardon Trophy	1939
PGA Tour leading money winner	1944, 1945
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year	1944, 1945
Bob Jones Award	1974
PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award	1997
Payne Stewart Award	2000
Congressional Gold Medal	2006

John Byron Nelson Jr. (February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006) was an American professional golfer. He played from 1935 to 1946 and is known as one of the greatest golfers ever.

Nelson was born in 1912, the same year as two other golf legends, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. Even though his career was short, he is famous for winning 11 tournaments in a row in 1945. He won 18 tournaments that year! He stopped playing professionally at age 34 to become a rancher. Later, he became a golf commentator. A PGA Tour event, the HP Byron Nelson Championship, was even named after him.

After retiring, he still played in the annual Masters Tournament. He finished in the top 10 six times between 1947 and 1955. In 1974, Nelson received the Bob Jones Award, golf's highest honor for good sportsmanship. He was also added to the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 1997, he received the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award. He was given the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006, after he passed away.

Early Life and Golf Beginnings

Byron Nelson was born near Waxahachie, Texas. His parents lived long lives and were very religious. Byron himself was a dedicated member of the Church of Christ. He even helped clean the church sometimes, even after he became famous.

When he was 11, his family moved to Fort Worth. He got very sick with typhoid fever and lost a lot of weight. After getting better, at age 12, he started working as a caddie at Glen Garden Country Club. He learned quickly, even though other caddies didn't like new people joining.

Caddies weren't allowed to play at the club at first. So, Byron would practice in the dark, putting a white handkerchief over the hole to see it. The club later changed its rules and held a caddie tournament. A 14-year-old Nelson won, beating future golf star Ben Hogan by just one shot! Nelson and Hogan were friends and rivals when they were young.

In 1934, Nelson was working as a golf pro in Texarkana, Arkansas. There, he met Louise Shofner, who became his wife. They were married for 50 years until she passed away in 1985.

Byron Nelson's Professional Career

Becoming a Golf Champion

Byron Nelson became a professional golfer in 1932. He worked as a club professional in Texas and played in as many tournaments as he could. Money was hard to come by during the Great Depression. He soon realized that golf swings needed to change because of new steel golf clubs. Nelson was one of the first players to use a modern swing with more leg power. Many people say he helped create the modern golf swing.

He practiced these new techniques for a few years. Then, he joined the PGA Tour. His first big win was in 1935 at the New Jersey State Open. The next year, he won the Metropolitan Open. He reportedly won that tournament with only "$5 in my pocket"!

In 1937, Nelson became the head professional at Reading Country Club in Pennsylvania. In 1940, he moved to Inverness Club in Ohio. While there, he coached a young player named Frank Stranahan, who later became a star.

Winning Major Championships

Nelson won his first major title at The Masters in 1937. He finished two shots ahead of Ralph Guldahl. In that tournament, he shot a 66 in the first round, which was the lowest first-round score at the Masters until 1976.

He won four more major championships:

• The U.S. Open in 1939.
• The PGA Championship in 1940 and 1945.
• A second Masters in 1942.

Playing During World War II

Byron Nelson had a blood condition that made his blood clot slower than normal. This meant he could not join the military during World War II. Because of this, he played in many golf shows across the country. These shows helped raise money for charities. He often played with his friend, Harold "Jug" McSpaden, who also could not serve in the military.

Career Highlights and Records

Nelson won 52 professional events in his career. He and Jug McSpaden were known as the "Gold Dust Twins" in golf.

He won the Vardon Trophy in 1939. He also played on two Ryder Cup teams for the United States, in 1937 and 1947. He was also the non-playing captain in 1965. After 1946, Nelson played less often. However, he still played in the Masters and some other tournaments. He also served as a ceremonial starter for many years.

His Amazing 1945 Season

In 1945, Nelson had a record-breaking year. He won 18 PGA tournaments out of the 30 he played. This included an incredible 11 wins in a row! No one has beaten these records since.

His streak of 11 wins started in March. It ended in August when he finished tied for fourth place in another tournament. During this amazing run, he won the 1945 PGA Championship, which was the only major championship played that year.

Some people thought his wins were easier because of the war. But many top golfers like Sam Snead and Ben Hogan still played that year. Snead won 6 times in 1945, and Hogan won 5 times. Nelson also finished second 7 times that year. He set a record for the lowest scoring average (68.33 strokes per round). He also set records for the lowest 18-hole score (62) and 72-hole score (259).

Many golf legends praise his 1945 season. Arnold Palmer said, "I don't think that anyone will ever exceed the things that Byron did." Tiger Woods called it "one of the great years in the history of the sport."

Longest Cut Streak

Nelson's record of 113 times making the "cut" in a tournament is second only to Tiger Woods' 142. Making the cut means a player gets paid. In Nelson's time, only the top 20 players in a tournament got a check. So, his 113 consecutive cuts mean he finished in the top 20 for 113 tournaments in a row!

First to Win 50 PGA Tour Events

In 1946, Byron Nelson won the Columbus Invitational. This made him the first golfer to reach 50 career PGA Tour wins. Only a few other famous golfers have achieved this since, including Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, and Tiger Woods.

Memorable Shots

Nelson made some amazing shots in major championships:

• In the 1937 Masters, he made a birdie and an eagle on holes 12 and 13 in the final round. This helped him gain six strokes on his rival and win the tournament.
• In the 1939 U.S. Open, his ball hit the flagstick six times during the tournament and playoff. He still won the championship!
• In the 1945 PGA Championship semi-final, he was losing by four holes with five holes left. He then played those last holes with an eagle and four birdies to win the match!

Retirement and Later Life

Nelson officially retired from professional golf at the young age of 34. He bought a ranch in Roanoke, Texas, and became a rancher.

Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, Nelson became a television golf commentator.

The Byron Nelson Classic

Starting in 1968, a PGA Tour event in Dallas was named the Byron Nelson Golf Classic. This was the first time a PGA Tour event was named after a professional golfer. Nelson also supported the tournament with his presence.

Playing After Retirement

As a former Masters champion, he kept playing in that tournament every year. He finished in the top 10 six times between 1947 and 1955. In 1965, at age 53, he still finished tied for 15th place.

Nelson also won the Bing Crosby Pro-Am in 1951 and the French Open in 1955. He also gave many paid golf exhibitions after he retired from the Tour.

Writing His Story

In 1993, Nelson wrote his life story in a book called "How I Played The Game."

Over his nearly 70 years in golf, Nelson played with many famous people. These included actors like Bing Crosby and James Garner, and sports figures like Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Coaching and Mentoring

Nelson also coached and mentored many rising golf stars from the 1950s to the 1970s. Some of these included World Golf Hall of Fame members Ken Venturi and Tom Watson.

Death and Legacy

Byron Nelson passed away on September 26, 2006, at his home in Roanoke, Texas. He was survived by his second wife, Peggy, and his siblings.

Nelson was often called "Lord Byron." This nickname came from a sports journalist who noticed his gentlemanly behavior. It was a nod to the famous English poet, Lord Byron. Many people remembered his kind nature when he passed away.

Nelson was a successful golf commentator on television. He famously said during the 1966 U.S. Open, "Golf is the strangest game in the world." This was when Arnold Palmer lost a big lead. In 1974, Nelson met Tom Watson at the U.S. Open. Watson had also lost a big lead, and Nelson helped him.

In 2000, Golf Digest magazine ranked Nelson as the fifth greatest golfer of all time. A 2009 Sports Illustrated panel ranked him seventh.

The "Iron Byron" robot, used to test golf clubs and balls, was named after Nelson. This was because of how consistent his golf swing was. Jack Nicklaus once wrote that Nelson had the straightest golf swing he had ever seen.

Honors After His Death

Several places and awards have been named after Byron Nelson:

• A highway in Roanoke, Texas, is called Byron Nelson Boulevard. The street he lived on was renamed Eleven Straight Lane, honoring his 1945 record.
• A street in Irving, Texas, near where the HP Byron Nelson Championship is played, is called Byron Nelson Lane.
• A street in Southlake, Texas, and one in McAllen, Texas, are also named after him.

On September 29, 2006, the United States Senate gave Byron Nelson the Congressional Gold Medal. This is the highest award given by the U.S. government's law-making branch. It recognized his "significant contributions to the game of golf as a player, a teacher, and a commentator." His wife, Peggy Nelson, received the medal in 2007.

In 2007, the Northwest Independent School District named their second high school Byron Nelson High School. It opened in 2009 in Trophy Club, Texas, near Nelson's hometown. Artist Chelle Adams painted two portraits of Nelson for the school's auditorium.

Professional Wins Summary

Byron Nelson won a total of 64 professional events.

Major Championships (5)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1937	Masters Tournament	−5 (283)	2 strokes	Ralph Guldahl
1939	U.S. Open	+8 (284)	Playoff 1	Denny Shute, Craig Wood
1940	PGA Championship	1 up		Sam Snead
1942	Masters Tournament (2)	−8 (280)	Playoff 2	Ben Hogan
1945	PGA Championship (2)	4 & 3		Sammy Byrd

Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
¹ Defeated Craig Wood and Denny Shute in a 36-hole playoff.
² Defeated Ben Hogan in an 18-hole playoff.

Major Championship Results Timeline Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 26 (1937 Masters – 1949 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 12 (1937 Open Championship – 1941 Masters)

Awards

• Vardon Trophy: 1939
• PGA Tour leading money winner: 1944, 1945
• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: 1944, 1945
• Bob Jones Award: 1974
• World Golf Hall of Fame: 1974
• Old Tom Morris Award: 1994
• PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award: 1997
• Payne Stewart Award: 2000
• Congressional Gold Medal: 2006

See also

In Spanish: Byron Nelson para niños