Nelson, "Byron" (John Byron Jr.)
Golf
b. Feb. 4, 1912, Ft. Worth, TX
d. Sept. 26, 2006
Nelson had the most incredible streak in golfing history in 1945, when he won 11 consecutive tournaments and a total of 19 tour events. The performance has been disparaged by some because most of the other top professional golfers were serving in World War II. (Nelson wasn't qualified for military service because he had hemophilia.)
However, that's a simplistic view. For one thing, Nelson's scores would have beaten just about anybody. He averaged 68.33 strokes per round for 31 tournaments that year and, at the Seattle Open, he shot a record 62 for 18 holes and 259, 29 shots under par, for 72 holes.
For another, there were other good golfers playing in 1945. Sam Snead played in 27 tournaments, winning 6; Ben Hogan, discharged from the Army Air Corps, played in 19 and won 4; and Jimmy Demaret and Craig Wood were on the tour for the entire year.
Nelson had established his credentials as a great golfer before the war. He won the U. S. Open in 1939, the PGA Championship in 1940, and the Masters in 1937 and 1942, when he beat Hogan 69-70 in a playoff. By the end of 1945, he had finished in the money in 113 consecutive tournaments.
After winning six more tournaments in 1946, Nelson retired from the tour because of the strain of competition and bought a ranch in Texas. He competed in just a few tournaments a year after that, but tied for second in the 1947 Masters and won the 1955 French Open.
Nelson was named male athlete of the year in 1944, when he won 7 tournaments and averaged 69.67 strokes for 85 rounds, and again after his remarkable 1945 season.