Byron Nelson.....
The world, not just the golf world, lost a great man today. Byron nelson died at the age of 94. God called home a servant who represented Christ well while in the media spotlight. He was one of the greatest golfers but considered the greatest gentlemen to ever play and represent the game.
Byron was a member of the Church of the Christ and most recently a member of the Richland Hills Church of Christ in the DFW area.
When I was young (12-15 yrs) I played in the Ft. Worth city golf championship for junior players every year. One year we got to play a round of golf at Glen Garden Country Club where Byron and Ben Hogan were both caddies. I remember walking around on the course and thinking about how incredible it was that two golfers of that ability came out of this golf club, which is really not anything special from a glitz perspective.
Byron holds records today that many say will never be broken, not even by Tiger Woods. He won 18 times in 1945 including an astonishing 11 victories in a row. From 1945-46 he won an incredible 31 of 54 tournaments he entered. He then retired at the age of 34, an age when most professionals are just getting warmed up.
He spent the rest of his life serving others, raising money for various charities including the salesman club charity funded through the Byron Nelson Classic. EDS has been a minor sponsor for the Byron Nelson tournament for the last 15 years and I got the chance to see Byron out at the course. EDS has been the primary sponsor the last four years. I feel connected to him in some way even though he never knew me.
A side story that very few people know.....Payne Stewart was having trouble in his life with his marriage and other things. He sought out Byron and apparently they studied the bible together, he went to church with Byron, etc. and turned his life around. The next year, Payne helped win the Ryder Cup, He won the U.S. Open, and then he died in the plane crash. When Payne died I remember other players and his family talking about how Byron had helped turn his life around.
posted by sstone @ 7:23 PM
1 Comments:
Your mention of Ben Hogan brought back lots of childhood memories. I was maybe nine or ten and no one in my family played golf yet Ben Hogan was a sports hero to me.i remember his many come from behind victories but more importantly his come back life victory from a tragic auto accident. My memory says he was not expected to live and not only did he live but once again played champioship golf despite great pain and physical handicaps.My good friend Neil Anderson personally knew Byron Nelson.
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