Let’s Talk About Byron
Austin Evans recaps the 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson, and goes into why Byron is underrated in golf’s pantheon of all-time greats.
This week’s PGA Tour stop honours one of the games all-time greats at the tournament that bares his name.
Billy Horschel beat Jason Day in a playoff to win the 2017 AT&T Byron Nelson. It was Horschel’s fourth PGA Tour Win.
This week saw the return of form to both Day and Horschel. Horschel had missed his previous four cuts before this week, and it was his first win since the 2014 Tour Championship on his way to the FedEx Cup. For Day, this was his best finish so far in a year filled with injuries and personal turmoil. Hopefully it serves as a springboard to see him challenge Dustin Johnson for the World N0. One ranking he lost earlier this year. The key for Jason is his driving. As evidenced by this weekend, where he hit over 70% of the fairways, when he drives it well he plays well.
One PGA Championship, 32 wins, and 69 top tens. These numbers are staggering. They constitute an unquestioned, bona fide Hall of Fame career in any era.
This was Byron Nelson’s record from 1944–1946.
That major was one of only six contested during that period due to the Second World War. While Sam Snead and Ben Hogan were away for parts of this stretch due to their involvement in the war, they still played partial to full schedules for periods of Nelson’s unprecedented three year run.
Regardless of these circumstances, Nelson had one of the best stretches of play in the history of golf, and he is often underrated considering his accomplishments. Here are some reasons why his career may be overlooked.
He retired at age 34 to become a rancher:
Nelson always said that as soon as he earned enough money on the course, he would retire and buy a ranch. After doing so, he played a very limited schedule and stepped away during what is almost universally considered the prime of his career.
So if Byron retires to become a rancher it’s fine, but when Tiger wants to retire and become a Navy Seal it’s not cool? I smell a conspiracy.
He only won 5 majors:
It feels silly saying he only won 5 majors, but we can only compare him to the great players of his own era. From 1934–1946, Byron Nelson won the most majors with five. After he stopped playing full time, however, both Sam Snead (two majors) and Ben Hogan (one major), ended up winning seven and nine respectively. Were they able to win more majors because Byron wasn’t competing full time? Did they simply hit their primes after Byron and win against deeper fields? Would they have all lost to Jack or Tiger if they played in their eras? These answers are inconclusive.
Except the last one. They probably would have lost pretty badly to Tiger.
He didn’t win the career grand slam:
Nelson is joined on the list by Sam Snead, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd and several other all-time greats who played their careers in the Masters era, but were only able to win three of the four majors. Nelson, like Hogan, only ever made one trip overseas during his full playing career to play in The Open Championship. Hogan won in his only try in 1953 and Nelson finished 5th in 1937.
Unlike the other reasons, this shortcoming is fairly indisputable. Failing to win the career grand slam keeps Byron below the level of golf’s true titans.
With all that said, Byron’s impact on the game is still felt today. He was the first former player to have his own tournament . They nicknamed golf club testing machines ‘Iron Byron’, as he was known for his prodigious accuracy and his status as the father of the modern golf swing. For that, we are gladly reminded of him each year at his tournament.
Austin is The Ocho’s golf contributor. He also writes about basketball and guest hosts The Ocho Podcast with his brother Riley when Aaron has something better to do. Follow Austin on Twitter at @austevans24.
