| Byron Nelson | |
|---|---|
 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 (185 cm) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Spouse | |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1932 |
| 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) | |
| Masters Tournament | Won:1937,1942 |
| PGA Championship | Won:1940,1945 |
| U.S. Open | Won:1939 |
| The Open Championship | 5th:1937 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| (For a full list of awards, seehere) | |
John Byron Nelson Jr. (February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006) was an Americanprofessional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time.
Nelson and two other legendary champions of the time,Ben Hogan andSam Snead, were born within seven months of each other in 1912.[2][3] 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 theByron Nelson Classic, the firstPGA Tour event to be named for a professional golfer. As a formerMasters champion he continued to play in that annual tournament, placing in the top-10 six times between 1947 and 1955 and as high as 15th in 1965.[4]
In 1974, Nelson received theBob Jones Award, the highest honor given by theUnited States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf, and was inducted into theWorld Golf Hall of Fame.[5] He became the second recipient of thePGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He received the 1994Old Tom Morris Award from theGolf Course Superintendents Association of America, that organization's highest honor. Nelson was posthumously awarded theCongressional Gold Medal in 2006.
Born nearWaxahachie, Texas, Byron Nelson was the son of Madge Allen Nelson (1893–1992) and John Byron Nelson Sr. (1889–1965). 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 upBaptist, was baptized in theChurch of Christ at age 18, and John Byron Sr., raisedPresbyterian, was baptized in the Church of Christ soon after meeting Madge. The senior Byron Nelson went on to serve as anelder 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 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 inNorth Richland Hills, Texas.[6]
When Nelson was 11 years old, the family moved toFort Worth, where he barely survivedtyphoid fever after losing nearly half his body weight to the disease, which also left him unable to sire children[citation needed]. Soon after his baptism at age 12, he startedcaddying at Glen Garden Country Club.[6] On his caddying days, Nelson said, "I knew nothing about caddying at first, but it wasn't difficult to learn. The other caddies, though, didn't like to see any new ones, because that might mean they wouldn't get a job sometime."[7] An article on Nelson inSports 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."[8] The club later changed its policy and sponsored a caddie tournament, where a 14-year-old Nelson beat fellow caddie and future golf greatBen Hogan by a single stroke after a nine-hole playoff.[6][8] Nelson and Hogan were rivals but close friends in their teen years, and for the first part of their professional careers as well, but Nelson's early success was difficult for the struggling Hogan to deal with, and they gradually grew apart, while retaining mutual respect.[9]
In 1934, Nelson was working as a golf pro inTexarkana, Arkansas, when he met his future wife Louise Shofner, to whom he was married for 50 years before she died in 1985 after two severestrokes.[1][6]
After turning professional in 1932, Nelson served as a club professional in Texas and played as many significant tournaments as he could afford, to develop his game. Money was tight, as Texas was hit very hard by theGreat Depression. A pair of top-three finishes in important Texas events encouraged him. He then took a club professional's job at theRidgewood Country Club inNew Jersey in 1935. He worked hard on his game, having earlier realized that with the technological change from hickory to steel shafts, which was gathering momentum in the early 1930s, that the golf swing would have to adapt as well. Nelson was among the first of a new generation of players who developed a full swing with increased leg drive leading the downswing; this is the forerunner of modern golf technique as practiced by top players, right to the present day. Nelson is sometimes credited as being the father of the modern golf swing. He refined the changes for a couple of years, and then took his game to the highest level of competition, the PGA Tour.[10] Nelson's first significant victory was in 1935 at theNew Jersey State Open. He followed this up with a win at theMetropolitan Open the following year. He reportedly won this tournament with "$5 in my pocket".[11]
In 1937, Nelson was hired as the head professional at the Reading Country Club inReading, Pennsylvania, and worked there until 1940, when he took a new job as head pro at theInverness Club inToledo, Ohio.[9] While at Inverness, Nelson coached and mentored the promising young playerFrank Stranahan, who would go on to stardom over the next two decades.
Nelson won his firstmajor title atThe Masters in1937, two shots ahead of runner-upRalph Guldahl. During this tournament, he shot a first-round 66, which was the lowest first-round score at the Masters until1976, whenRaymond Floyd shot a 65 en route to his victory.[12] Nelson won four more majors, theU.S. Open in1939, thePGA Championship in1940 and1945, and a second Masters in1942.
Nelson had a blood disorder that caused his blood to clot four times slower than normal, which kept him out of military service duringWorld War II. It has sometimes mistakenly been reported that he hadhemophilia.[13] During the war, Nelson gave hundreds of golf exhibitions across the country to raise money for charitable causes, often partnering withHarold "Jug" McSpaden, who was also exempt from military service.[10]
In his career, Nelson won 52 professional events, and, along with McSpaden, was one of golf's "Gold Dust Twins".[14]
Nelson won theVardon Trophy in 1939.[15] He played on twoRyder Cup teams, in1937 and1947, and was non-playing captain in1965.[15] After 1946, Nelson curtailed his schedule, although he continued to make regular appearances at The Masters as a competitor, played occasional Tour events, appeared in a few overseas tournaments, and later served as a ceremonial starter for many years.[15]
In 1945, Nelson enjoyed a record-breaking year, winning 18 PGA tournaments out of the 30 he played, including 11 in a row that he played in.[15] Both records are yet to be beaten. Nelson's run of 11 wins started in March with theMiami International Four-Ball, where he partneredJug McSpaden. He then won 10 individual events ending with theCanadian Open in August, a run that finished when he finished tied for fourth place in theMemphis Invitational. During this run, he won the 1945PGA Championship, the only major championship played that year.[15] The week after the PGA Championship he missed theSt. Paul Open with a back injury. There has been debate as to how impressive these results are, as it was believed to be a weakened tour due to the war.[16] But in reality many of the leading golfers of that time, includingSam Snead andBen Hogan still played a full or at least part schedule that year.[16] Snead won 6 times in 1945 while Hogan won 5 times in the latter part of the year. During this year Nelson finished second another 7 times, set a record for the scoring average (68.33 for 18 holes) that was broken byTiger Woods in 2000, a record 18 hole score (62), and a record 72-hole score (259, which beat the previous record set byBen Hogan earlier that year).[16] 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."[17] Even more recently, Tiger Woods referred to the year as "one of the great years in the history of the sport".[17]
Nelson's record of 113 consecutive cuts made is second only toTiger Woods' 142. The PGA Tour defines a "cut" as receiving a paycheck, even if an event has no cutper 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. Almost half of those top 20s were during the weakened tour war years of 1944 & 1945. In fact, 26 of Nelson's 52 tour wins were during those two weakened tour years of 1944 & 1945. Before 1944 he had never won more than 4 events in any year.
With his win at the 1946 Columbus Invitational, Nelson became the first player to reach 50 career PGA Tour wins. This feat has since been matched byBen Hogan,Sam Snead,Arnold Palmer,Jack Nicklaus,Billy Casper, andTiger Woods.
Nelson achieved several notable performances of scoring and accuracy at key moments in major championships:
Nelson retired officially at the relatively early age of 34 to become a rancher, buying a ranch in Roanoke, Texas.[19]
Nelson later became a television golf commentator, during the 1960s and 1970s.
From 1968, Nelson lent both his name and support to theByron Nelson Golf Classic in Dallas; this was the first regularly-held PGA Tour event to be named for a professional golfer; the tournament had been previously staged as the Dallas Open.
As a formerMasters champion, he continued to play in that annual tournament, placing in the top-10 six times between 1947 and 1955, and as high as 15th in 1965, at age 53.[4] From 1947 to 1955 Nelson played in 12 majors and won none.
Nelson did win the 1951Bing Crosby Pro-Am, a PGA Tour event that he had not won before. He also won the 1955French Open. Nelson gave paid golf exhibitions for many years after he retired from the Tour, notably after his 1951 Crosby victory.[10]
Nelson published his memoir "How I Played The Game" in 1993 (by Taylor Publishing, Dallas).
Over nearly 70 years in the sport, Nelson played with many celebrities and well-known personalities, including:Roone Arledge,Bing Crosby,James Garner,Bob Hope,Bobby Knight,Randolph Scott,Ed Sullivan,Johnny Weissmuller,Lawrence Welk, andBabe Zaharias.[20]
Among the rising golf talents Nelson coached and mentored, from the 1950s to the 1970s, areWorld Golf Hall of Fame membersKen Venturi andTom Watson, along withMarty Fleckman (who won the 1965 NCAA title and one PGA Tour event), and the dominant amateurHarvie Ward.[21]
Nelson died Tuesday, September 26, 2006.[22][23][24] According to a family friend, Nelson died at hisRoanoke, Texas home around noon. He was survived by Peggy, his wife of nearly 20 years, sister Margaret Ellen Sherman (1920–2007), and brother Charles (1926–2018), a professoremeritus atAbilene Christian University,[25] where Byron Nelson had been a trustee and benefactor. Nelson met his second wife, the former Peggy (McDonald) Simmons of Toledo, Ohio,[1] when she volunteered at the Bogie Busters celebrity golf tournament inDayton, Ohio in 1985.[26]
Nelson was often referred to as "Lord Byron", after theEnglish poet by that name, in recognition of his reputation for gentlemanly conduct, a nickname given him byAtlanta sports journalist O. B. Keeler.[22] Many of his obituaries referenced this reputation.[27][28]
Nelson had several successful years as atelevision golf commentator. Among the memorable events he broadcast was the 1966 U.S. Open forABC Sports. Nelson's comments as Arnold Palmer let slip a big lead toBilly Casper on the final nine holes: "A few holes ago, everybody thought this championship was over. Golf is the strangest game in the world."[29] It was at the 1974 U.S. Open that Nelson met Watson for the first time, and the two connected after Watson let a big lead get away in the final round.
Nelson was ranked as the fifth greatest golfer of all time byGolf Digest magazine in 2000. On this list,Jack Nicklaus was first, Nelson's longtime rivalsBen Hogan andSam Snead were second and third respectively, andBobby Jones was fourth.[30] A 2009Sports Illustrated panel ranked him seventh on its list of all-time greatest golfers, behind Nicklaus,Tiger Woods, Jones, Hogan, Snead, andArnold Palmer.[31]
The "Iron Byron" electro-mechanical machine or robot, developed byBattelle Memorial Institute andTrue Temper Sports and used by theUnited States Golf Association and golf manufacturers to compare and test clubs and balls for conformity to standards, was named for Nelson, honoring the consistency of his swing.
In Jack Nicklaus's 1978 bookOn and Off the Fairway, Nicklaus wrote that Nelson was the straightest golfer he ever saw. The two never played competitively (except at the Masters; Nicklaus won in 1965, Nelson finished tied for 15th), but a 14-year-old Nicklaus was in the crowd at the 1954U.S. Junior Amateur, when Nelson gave an exhibition hitting golf shots.[32]
State Highway 114 Business throughRoanoke, Texas 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 HP 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 inMcAllen, Texas.
On September 29, 2006, theUnited States Senate approved Senate Resolution 602[33] awarding Byron Nelson theCongressional Gold Medal, the highest award bestowed by theLegislative Branch of theUnited States government. The resolution cites Mr. Nelson's "significant contributions to the game of golf as a player, a teacher, and a commentator". RepresentativeMichael C. Burgess (R-TX) sponsored the resolution, originally proposed on March 8, 2006, well before Nelson's death.[34] On June 27, 2007, Peggy Nelson, Byron Nelson's surviving wife, was presented with the medal.[35]
On April 23, 2007, theNorthwest Independent School District named their second high schoolByron Nelson High School. This is the first high school named in honor of Byron Nelson and opened in the fall of 2009. The school is located inTrophy Club, Texas, near Nelson's hometown of Roanoke.[36]
Artist Chelle Adams painted two portraits of Byron Nelson in dedication which hang in the school's auditorium.Orange County Choppers built threechoppers in dedication which were auctioned off.
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (5) |
| Other PGA Tour (47) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 10, 1935 | New Jersey State Open | +4 (75-71-70-72=288) | 3 strokes | Jack Forrester |
| 2 | May 23, 1936 | Metropolitan Open | +3 (71-69-72-71=283) | 2 strokes | Craig Wood |
| 3 | Apr 4, 1937 | Masters Tournament | −5 (66-72-75-70=283) | 2 strokes | Ralph Guldahl |
| 4 | Sep 28, 1937 | Belmont International Open | 5 and 4 | Henry Picard | |
| 5 | Feb 27, 1938 | Thomasville Open | −8 (66-73-71-70=280) | 4 strokes | Dick Metz |
| 6 | Mar 11, 1938 | Hollywood Open | −9 (71-68-69-67=275) | 1 stroke | Frank Moore,Horton Smith |
| 7 | Feb 5, 1939 | Phoenix Open | −15 (68-65-65=198) | 12 strokes | Ben Hogan |
| 8 | Mar 23, 1939 | North and South Open | −8 (71-68-70-71=280) | 2 strokes | Horton Smith |
| 9 | Jun 12, 1939 | U.S. Open | +8 (72-73-71-68=284) | Playoff | Denny Shute,Craig Wood |
| 10 | Jul 23, 1939 | Western Open | −2 (68-72-70-71=281) | 1 stroke | Lloyd Mangrum |
| 11 | Feb 12, 1940 | Texas Open | −13 (68-67-69-67=271) | Playoff | Ben Hogan |
| 12 | Sep 2, 1940 | PGA Championship | 1 up | Sam Snead | |
| 13 | Dec 15, 1940 | Miami Open | −9 (69-65-67-70=271) | 1 stroke | Clayton Heafner |
| 14 | Mar 23, 1941 | Greater Greensboro Open | −6 (72-64-70-70=276) | 2 strokes | Vic Ghezzi |
| 15 | Sep 7, 1941 | Tam O'Shanter National Open | −10 (67-69-72-70=278) | 1 stroke | Leonard Dodson,Ben Hogan |
| 16 | Dec 14, 1941 | Miami Open (2) | −11 (70-67-66-66=269) | 5 strokes | Ben Hogan |
| 17 | Jan 18, 1942 | Oakland Open | −6 (67-69-69-69=274) | 5 strokes | Johnny Dawson (a) |
| 18 | Apr 13, 1942 | Masters Tournament (2) | −8 (68-67-72-73=280) | Playoff | Ben Hogan |
| 19 | Jul 27, 1942 | Tam O'Shanter National Open (2) | −8 (67-71-65-77=280) | Playoff | Clayton Heafner |
| 20 | Jan 17, 1944 | San Francisco Victory Open | −13 (68-69-68-70=275) | 6 strokes | Jug McSpaden |
| 21 | Apr 2, 1944 | Knoxville War Bond Tournament | −10 (69-68-66-67=270) | 1 stroke | Jug McSpaden |
| 22 | Jun 18, 1944 | New York Red Cross Tournament | −13 (69-69-66-71=275) | 4 strokes | Vic Ghezzi |
| 23 | Jul 9, 1944 | Golden Valley Four-Ball (with Jug McSpaden) | +13 points | 3 points | Bob Hamilton andBill Kaiser |
| 24 | Aug 28, 1944 | All American Open (3) | −8 (68-70-73-69=280) | 5 strokes | Ed Dudley |
| 25 | Sep 4, 1944 | Nashville Invitational | −15 (64-67-68-70=269) | 1 stroke | Jug McSpaden |
| 26 | Sep 10, 1944 | Texas Victory Open | −8 (69-69-70-68=276) | 10 strokes | Jug McSpaden |
| 27 | Dec 4, 1944 | San Francisco Open (2) | −7 (72-71-69-69=281) | 1 stroke | Jim Ferrier |
| 28 | Jan 14, 1945 | Phoenix Open (2) | −10 (68-65-72-69=274) | 2 strokes | Denny Shute |
| 29 | Feb 4, 1945 | Corpus Christi Open | −16 (66-63-65-70=264) | 4 strokes | Jug McSpaden |
| 30 | Feb 13, 1945 | New Orleans Open | −4 (70-70-73-71=284) | Playoff | Jug McSpaden |
| 31 | Mar 11, 1945 | Miami International Four-Ball (with Jug McSpaden) | 8 and 6 | Sammy Byrd andDenny Shute | |
| 32 | Mar 21, 1945 | Charlotte Open | −16 (70-68-66-68=272) | Playoff | Sam Snead |
| 33 | Mar 25, 1945 | Greater Greensboro Open (2) | −13 (70-67-68-66=271) | 8 strokes | Sammy Byrd |
| 34 | Apr 1, 1945 | Durham Open | −4 (71-69-71-65=276) | 5 strokes | Toney Penna |
| 35 | Apr 8, 1945 | Atlanta Open | −13 (64-69-65-65=263) | 9 strokes | Sammy Byrd |
| 36 | Jun 10, 1945 | Montreal Open | −20 (63-68-69-68=268) | 10 strokes | Jug McSpaden |
| 37 | Jun 17, 1945 | Philadelphia Inquirer Open | −11 (68-68-70-63=269) | 2 strokes | Jug McSpaden |
| 38 | Jul 1, 1945 | Chicago Victory National Open | −13 (69-68-68-70=275) | 7 strokes | Ky Laffoon,Jug McSpaden |
| 39 | Jul 15, 1945 | PGA Championship (2) | 4 and 3 | Sammy Byrd | |
| 40 | Jul 30, 1945 | All American Open (4) | −19 (66-68-68-67=269) | 11 strokes | Ben Hogan,Gene Sarazen |
| 41 | Aug 4, 1945 | Canadian Open | E (68-72-72-68=280) | 4 strokes | Herman Barron |
| 42 | Aug 26, 1945 | Knoxville Invitational (2) | −12 (67-69-73-67=276) | 10 strokes | Sammy Byrd |
| 43 | Sep 23, 1945 | Esmeralda Open | −22 (66-66-70-64=266) | 7 strokes | Jug McSpaden |
| 44 | Oct 14, 1945 | Seattle Open | −21 (62-68-63-66=259) | 13 strokes | Harry Givan (a),Jug McSpaden |
| 45 | Dec 16, 1945 | Fort Worth Open | −11 (65-72-66-70=273) | 8 strokes | Jimmy Demaret |
| 46 | Jan 7, 1946 | Los Angeles Open | E (71-69-72-72=284) | 5 strokes | Ben Hogan |
| 47 | Jan 13, 1946 | San Francisco Open (3) | −1 (73-70-72-68=283) | 9 strokes | Herman Barron |
| 48 | Feb 17, 1946 | New Orleans Open (2) | −11 (73-69-69-66=277) | 5 strokes | Ben Hogan |
| 49 | May 12, 1946 | Houston Open | −10 (70-69-67-68=274) | 2 strokes | Ben Hogan |
| 50 | Jul 7, 1946 | Columbus Invitational | −12 (72-68-69-67=276) | 2 strokes | Ed Oliver |
| 51 | Jul 21, 1946 | Chicago Victory National Open (2) | −5 (73-69-69-68=279) | 2 strokes | Jug McSpaden |
| 52 | Jan 14, 1951 | Bing Crosby Pro-Am | −7 (71-67-71=209) | 3 strokes | Cary Middlecoff |
PGA Tour playoff record (6–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1939 | U.S. Open | Denny Shute,Craig Wood | Won second 18-hole playoff; Nelson: +1 (70), Wood: +4 (73) Level after first 18-hole playoff; Nelson: −1 (68), Wood: −1 (68), Shute: +7 (76) |
| 2 | 1940 | Texas Open | Ben Hogan | Won 18-hole playoff; Nelson: −1 (70), Hogan: E (71) |
| 3 | 1941 | Florida West Coast Open | Horton Smith | Lost 18-hole playoff; Smith: −3 (68), Nelson: −2 (69) |
| 4 | 1942 | Masters Tournament | Ben Hogan | Won 18-hole playoff; Nelson: −3 (69), Hogan: −2 (70) |
| 5 | 1942 | Tam O'Shanter National Open | Clayton Heafner | Won 18-hole playoff; Nelson: −5 (67), Heafner: −1 (71) |
| 6 | 1944 | Phoenix Open | Jug McSpaden | Lost 18-hole playoff; McSpaden: −1 (70), Nelson: +1 (72) |
| 7 | 1945 | New Orleans Open | Jug McSpaden | Won 18-hole playoff; Nelson: −7 (65), McSpaden: −2 (70) |
| 8 | 1945 | Gulfport Open | Sam Snead | Lost to par on first extra after 18-hole playoff; Snead: E (71), Nelson: E (71) |
| 9 | 1945 | Charlotte Open | Sam Snead | Won second 18-hole playoff; Nelson: −3 (69), Snead: +1 (73) Level after first 18-hole playoff; Nelson: −3 (69), Snead: −3 (69) |
| 10 | 1946 | U.S. Open | Vic Ghezzi,Lloyd Mangrum | Mangrum won second 18-hole playoff; Mangrum: E (72), Ghezzi: +1 (73), Nelson: +1 (73) Level after first 18-hole playoff; Ghezzi: E (72), Mangrum: E (72), Nelson: E (72) |
Source:[37]
(This list may be incomplete)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Masters Tournament | 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) | Playoff1 | Denny Shute,Craig Wood |
| 1940 | PGA Championship | match play | 1 up | Sam Snead | |
| 1942 | Masters Tournament(2) | 2 shot lead | −8 (68-67-72-73=280) | Playoff2 | Ben Hogan |
| 1945 | PGA Championship(2) | match play | 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 - Nelson (68-70=138), Wood (68-73=141), Shute (76) (eliminated after first 18)
2 Defeated Ben Hogan in an 18-hole playoff - Nelson 69 (−3), Hogan 70 (−2)
| Tournament | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T9 | T13 | 1 | 5 | 7 | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T32 | CUT | T20 | T5 | 1 |
| The Open Championship | 5 | |||||
| PGA Championship | QF | QF | 2 |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 3 | 2 | 1 | NT | NT | NT | T7 | T2 | T8 | T8 |
| U.S. Open | T5 | T17 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T2 | CUT | ||
| The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | ||||
| PGA Championship | 1 | 2 | SF | NT | 2 | 1 | QF |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T4 | T8 | T24 | T29 | T12 | T10 | 39 | T16 | T20 | WD |
| U.S. Open | T28 | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | T32 | |||||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T32 | T33 | CUT | CUT | T15 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | |||||||
| The Open Championship | |||||||
| PGA Championship |
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 20 | 29 | 24 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 8 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| PGA Championship | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Totals | 5 | 6 | 2 | 21 | 28 | 36 | 51 | 43 |
Byron Nelson in theRyder Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
