Honorees

In 1945, “Lord Byron” competed in 30 golf tournaments. He won 18, including 11 in a row.  He played 19 consecutive
rounds under 70 that year and at the end of it, his scoring average was 68.33, all records at the time.  It is generally
believed that Nelson’s 18 victories in one year and 11 consecutively will never be broken. During 1945, Nelson also placed second seven times and never finished outside the top-10.

Nelson first came to national prominence in 1937 by winning the Masters Tournament.  Between then and his retirement as a regular on the tour in 1946, he captured four more major championships: the 1939 United States Open, the 1940 PGA Championship, the Masters again in 1942, and a second PGA Championship in 1945.  

A perfectionist who sought to play golf as simply and consistently as possible, Byron Nelson strove mightily throughout his early years to manufacture a swing that would enable him to flight and place the ball precisely.  The golf swing Nelson perfected is regarded as the first and still the master model for present-day technique.