Larry Nelson

Larry Nelson
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name	Larry Gene Nelson
Born	(1947-09-10) September 10, 1947 Fort Payne, Alabama
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg; 11 st)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Marietta, Georgia
Career
College	Kennesaw Junior College
Turned professional	1971
Current tour(s)	Champions Tour
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	42
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	10
Japan Golf Tour	4
Champions Tour	19 (tied 10th all time)
Other	9
Best results in major championships (wins: 3)
Masters Tournament	5th: 1984
U.S. Open	Won: 1983
The Open Championship	T12: 1980
PGA Championship	Won: 1981, 1987
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	2006 (member page)

Larry Gene Nelson (born September 10, 1947) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level.

Nelson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama and grew up in Acworth, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta. He didn't play the game as a child – atypical for a successful professional golfer – in high school he focused on basketball and baseball. Nelson took up golf at the age of 21 after he returned from serving in the infantry in Vietnam (Nelson was a 20-year-old newlywed when he was drafted into the U.S. Army).^[1] Nelson was first introduced to golf by Ken Hummel, a soldier and friend in his infantry unit, and Nelson carefully studied Ben Hogan's book The Five Fundamentals of Golf while learning how to play the game.^[2] He soon found that he had a talent for the game, breaking 100 the first time he played and 70 within nine months. He went on to graduate from Kennesaw Junior College in 1970 and turned professional the following year. He qualified for the PGA Tour at 27. His breakthrough year came in 1979, when he won twice and finished second on the money list to Tom Watson.

Nelson won 10 times on the PGA Tour, including three major championships. He earned his first major title at the 1981 PGA Championship, which he won by four strokes. In 1983 he was victorious at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, coming from seven behind at the half-way point to defeat Tom Watson by a single shot. Nelson scored a U.S. Open record 65-67 over the last 36 holes at the difficult Oakmont course, which broke a 51-year Open record established by Gene Sarazen. Nelson's 10 under par 132 record score has yet to be equaled. In 1987 he finished tied with Lanny Wadkins after the regulation 72 holes of PGA Championship, and won the title with a par at the first playoff hole.^[3]

Nelson played on the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 1979, 1981, and 1987. His record of 9–3–1 is one of the best since the event became USA v Europe in 1979; it had been a perfect 9–0–0 after the first two events. He also won four tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour.

Since turning 50 in 1997 Nelson has had a successful Champions Tour career, winning 19 times, although he has not won a senior major. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in April 2006 and inducted in October 2006.^[1] In 2011, Nelson received the PGA Distinguished Service Award from the PGA of America. The award "honors outstanding individuals who display leadership and humanitarian qualities, including integrity, sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the game of golf".^[4]

Nelson is also active in golf course design.

Professional wins (42)

PGA Tour wins (10)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Mar 11, 1979	Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic	−14 (67-69-67-71=274)	3 strokes	Grier Jones
2	Jul 8, 1979	Western Open	−2 (71-69-70-76=286)	Playoff	Ben Crenshaw
3	Jun 8, 1980	Atlanta Classic	−18 (66-69-68-67=270)	7 strokes	Andy Bean, Don Pooley
4	Apr 5, 1981	Greater Greensboro Open	−7 (69-68-69-75=281)	Playoff	Mark Hayes
5	Aug 9, 1981	PGA Championship	−7 (70-66-66-71=273)	4 strokes	Fuzzy Zoeller
6	Jun 19, 1983	U.S. Open	−4 (75-73-65-67=280)	1 stroke	Tom Watson
7	Oct 21, 1984	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic	−22 (66-66-64-70=266)	1 stroke	Hubert Green
8	Aug 9, 1987	PGA Championship (2)	−1 (70-72-73-72=287)	Playoff	Lanny Wadkins
9	Oct 18, 1987	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic (2)	−20 (68-69-68-63=268)	1 stroke	Morris Hatalsky, Mark O'Meara
10	Jun 1, 1988	Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic (2)	−20 (63-66-66-73=268)	1 stroke	Chip Beck

PGA Tour playoff record (3–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1979	Danny Thomas Memphis Classic	Gil Morgan	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
2	1979	Western Open	Ben Crenshaw	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1981	Greater Greensboro Open	Mark Hayes	Won with birdie on second extra hole
4	1987	PGA Championship	Lanny Wadkins	Won with par on first extra hole
5	1989	GTE Byron Nelson Classic	Jodie Mudd	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (4)

Other wins (2)

1978 Georgia Open
1988 PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event)

Champions Tour wins (19)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Feb 22, 1998	American Express Invitational	−13 (63-69-71=203)	4 strokes	Dave Stockton
2	May 31, 1998	Pittsburgh Senior Classic	−12 (65-65-74=204)	5 strokes	Bob Duval
3	Sep 27, 1998	Boone Valley Classic	−16 (70-65-65=200)	2 strokes	Graham Marsh
4	Feb 21, 1999	GTE Classic	−8 (70-68-67=205)	2 strokes	Bruce Fleisher
5	May 2, 1999	Bruno's Memorial Classic	−11 (70-67-68=205)	1 stroke	Dana Quigley
6	Apr 23, 2000	Las Vegas Senior Classic	−19 (67-66-64=197)	5 strokes	Bruce Fleisher Hale Irwin
7	May 28, 2000	Boone Valley Classic	−16 (66-66-68=200)	3 strokes	Tom Watson
8	Aug 27, 2000	FleetBoston Classic	−13 (67-70-66=203)	4 strokes	Jim Thorpe
9	Sep 3, 2000	Foremost Insurance Championship	−18 (66-69-63=198)	3 strokes	Dave Stockton
10	Sep 24, 2000	Bank One Senior Championship	−13 (67-68-68=203)	6 strokes	Bill Brask, Jim Thorpe
11	Oct 1, 2000	Vantage Championship	−12 (66-63-69=198)	Playoff	Jim Dent, Gil Morgan
12	Jan 24, 2001	MasterCard Championship	−19 (67-64-66=197)	1 stroke	Jim Thorpe
13	Feb 8, 2001	Royal Caribbean Classic	29 pts (6-15-8=29)	1 point	Vicente Fernández
14	Jun 24, 2001	FleetBoston Classic	−15 (65-69-67=201)	3 strokes	Bruce Fleisher
15	Jul 8, 2001	Farmers Charity Classic	−14 (67-67-68=202)	1 stroke	Jim Ahern
16	Oct 21, 2001	SBC Championship	−17 (67-69-63=199)	2 strokes	Bob Gilder, Gary McCord
17	Sep 14, 2003	Constellation Energy Classic	−9 (67-70-70=207)	2 strokes	Jim Dent, Doug Tewell
18	May 9, 2004	FedEx Kinko's Classic	−7 (73-69-67=209)	1 stroke	Bruce Lietzke
19	Oct 10, 2004	Administaff Small Business Classic	−14 (68-70-64=202)	Playoff	Hale Irwin

Champions Tour playoff record (2–3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1998	Cadillac NFL Golf Classic	Jim Colbert, Bob Dickson	Dickson won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1998	Kroger Senior Classic	Hugh Baiocchi, Bob Charles Frank Conner, Bruce Summerhays	Baiocchi won with birdie on second extra hole
3	2000	The Countrywide Tradition	Tom Kite, Tom Watson	Kite won with birdie on sixth extra hole Nelson eliminated with par on second hole
4	2000	Vantage Championship	Jim Dent, Gil Morgan	Nelson won with birdie on sixth extra hole Dent eliminated with birdie on first hole
5	2004	Administaff Small Business Classic	Hale Irwin	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other senior wins (7)

1998 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Hale Irwin and Gil Morgan)
1999 Chrysler Senior Match Play Challenge
2004 Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with son Drew)
2007 Del Webb Father/Son Challenge (with son Josh)
2008 Del Webb Father/Son Challenge (with son Drew)
2015 Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf (Legends division, with Bruce Fleisher)
2016 Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf (Legends division, with Bruce Fleisher)

Major championships

Wins (3)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1981	PGA Championship	4 shot lead	−7 (70-66-66-71=273)	4 strokes	Fuzzy Zoeller
1983	U.S. Open	1 shot deficit	−4 (75-73-65-67=280)	1 stroke	Tom Watson
1987	PGA Championship (2)	3 shot deficit	−1 (70-72-73-72=287)	Playoff¹	Lanny Wadkins

¹Defeated Wadkins with a par on the first extra hole.

Results timeline

Tournament	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	DNP	T31
U.S. Open	T21	T54	CUT	T4
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	T34	T54	T12	T28

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Masters Tournament	T6	CUT	T7	CUT	5	T36	T36	CUT	T33	CUT
U.S. Open	T60	T20	T19	1	CUT	T39	T35	CUT	T62	T13
The Open Championship	T12	DNP	T32	T53	CUT	T55	CUT	T48	T13	CUT
PGA Championship	CUT	1	CUT	T36	CUT	T23	CUT	1	T38	T46

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	48	55	DQ	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	T14	T3	CUT	T46	CUT	DNP	DNP	CUT	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	CUT	CUT	T28	T56	CUT	CUT	WD	T71	DNP	CUT

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	CUT	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP

Tournament	2010	2011
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	CUT

DNP = did not play
DQ = disqualified
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

Tournament	Wins	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	1	3	3	14	9
U.S. Open	1	1	3	3	8	20	14
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	2	9	6
PGA Championship	2	0	2	2	4	27	13
Totals	3	1	6	8	17	70	42

Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1978 PGA – 1980 Open Championship)
Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1981 PGA – 1982 Masters)

References

1 2 "World Golf Hall of Fame member bio". Retrieved November 15, 2013.
↑ Reinhard, Paul (June 29, 2000). "Quiet Nelson Set To Make Some Noise". The Morning Call.
↑ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved November 15, 2013.
↑ "Larry Nelson to receive award from PGA". ESPN. Associated Press. April 13, 2011.

External links

Larry Nelson at the PGA Tour official site
Larry Nelson at the Japan Golf Tour official site
Profile at the World Golf Hall of Fame

Larry Nelson in the Major Championships

U.S. Open champions

1895 Horace Rawlins 1896 James Foulis 1897 Joe Lloyd 1898 Fred Herd 1899 Willie Smith 1900 Harry Vardon 1901 Willie Anderson† 1902 Laurie Auchterlonie 1903 Willie Anderson† 1904 Willie Anderson 1905 Willie Anderson 1906 Alex Smith 1907 Alec Ross 1908 Fred McLeod† 1909 George Sargent 1910 Alex Smith† 1911 John McDermott† 1912 John McDermott 1913 Francis Ouimet#† 1914‡ Walter Hagen 1915 Jerome Travers# 1916 Chick Evans# 1917–18 Cancelled due to World War I 1919 Walter Hagen† 1920 Ted Ray 1921‡ Jim Barnes 1922 Gene Sarazen 1923 Bobby Jones#† 1924 Cyril Walker 1925 Willie Macfarlane† 1926 Bobby Jones# 1927 Tommy Armour† 1928 Johnny Farrell† 1929 Bobby Jones#† 1930 Bobby Jones# 1931 Billy Burke† 1932 Gene Sarazen 1933 Johnny Goodman# 1934 Olin Dutra 1935 Sam Parks, Jr. 1936 Tony Manero 1937 Ralph Guldahl 1938 Ralph Guldahl 1939 Byron Nelson† 1940 Lawson Little† 1941 Craig Wood 1942–45 Cancelled due to World War II 1946 Lloyd Mangrum† 1947 Lew Worsham† 1948 Ben Hogan 1949 Cary Middlecoff 1950 Ben Hogan† 1951 Ben Hogan 1952 Julius Boros 1953‡ Ben Hogan 1954 Ed Furgol 1955 Jack Fleck† 1956 Cary Middlecoff 1957 Dick Mayer† 1958 Tommy Bolt 1959 Billy Casper 1960 Arnold Palmer 1961 Gene Littler 1962 Jack Nicklaus† 1963 Julius Boros† 1964 Ken Venturi 1965 Gary Player† 1966 Billy Casper† 1967 Jack Nicklaus 1968 Lee Trevino 1969 Orville Moody 1970‡ Tony Jacklin 1971 Lee Trevino† 1972 Jack Nicklaus 1973 Johnny Miller 1974 Hale Irwin 1975 Lou Graham† 1976 Jerry Pate 1977 Hubert Green 1978 Andy North 1979 Hale Irwin 1980 Jack Nicklaus 1981 David Graham 1982 Tom Watson 1983 Larry Nelson 1984 Fuzzy Zoeller† 1985 Andy North 1986 Raymond Floyd 1987 Scott Simpson 1988 Curtis Strange† 1989 Curtis Strange 1990 Hale Irwin† 1991 Payne Stewart† 1992 Tom Kite 1993 Lee Janzen 1994 Ernie Els† 1995 Corey Pavin 1996 Steve Jones 1997 Ernie Els 1998 Lee Janzen 1999 Payne Stewart 2000‡ Tiger Woods 2001 Retief Goosen† 2002‡ Tiger Woods 2003 Jim Furyk 2004 Retief Goosen 2005 Michael Campbell 2006 Geoff Ogilvy 2007 Ángel Cabrera 2008 Tiger Woods† 2009 Lucas Glover 2010 Graeme McDowell 2011‡ Rory McIlroy 2012 Webb Simpson 2013 Justin Rose 2014‡ Martin Kaymer 2015 Jordan Spieth

† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire; # indicates the event was won by an amateur

PGA Championship champions

Match play era	1916 Jim Barnes 1917–18 Cancelled due to World War I 1919 Jim Barnes 1920 Jock Hutchison 1921 Walter Hagen 1922 Gene Sarazen 1923 Gene Sarazen 1924 Walter Hagen 1925 Walter Hagen 1926 Walter Hagen 1927 Walter Hagen 1928 Leo Diegel 1929 Leo Diegel 1930 Tommy Armour 1931 Tom Creavy 1932 Olin Dutra 1933 Gene Sarazen 1934 Paul Runyan 1935 Johnny Revolta 1936 Denny Shute 1937 Denny Shute 1938 Paul Runyan 1939 Henry Picard 1940 Byron Nelson 1941 Vic Ghezzi 1942 Sam Snead 1943 Cancelled due to World War II 1944 Bob Hamilton 1945 Byron Nelson 1946 Ben Hogan 1947 Jim Ferrier 1948 Ben Hogan 1949 Sam Snead 1950 Chandler Harper 1951 Sam Snead 1952 Jim Turnesa 1953 Walter Burkemo 1954 Chick Harbert 1955 Doug Ford 1956 Jack Burke, Jr. 1957 Lionel Hebert

Stroke play era	1958 Dow Finsterwald 1959 Bob Rosburg 1960 Jay Hebert 1961 Jerry Barber† 1962 Gary Player 1963 Jack Nicklaus 1964‡ Bobby Nichols 1965 Dave Marr 1966 Al Geiberger 1967 Don January† 1968 Julius Boros 1969‡ Raymond Floyd 1970 Dave Stockton 1971 Jack Nicklaus 1972 Gary Player 1973 Jack Nicklaus 1974 Lee Trevino 1975 Jack Nicklaus 1976 Dave Stockton 1977 Lanny Wadkins† 1978 John Mahaffey† 1979 David Graham† 1980 Jack Nicklaus 1981 Larry Nelson 1982‡ Raymond Floyd 1983‡ Hal Sutton 1984 Lee Trevino 1985 Hubert Green 1986 Bob Tway 1987 Larry Nelson† 1988 Jeff Sluman 1989 Payne Stewart 1990 Wayne Grady 1991 John Daly 1992 Nick Price 1993 Paul Azinger† 1994 Nick Price 1995 Steve Elkington† 1996 Mark Brooks† 1997 Davis Love III 1998 Vijay Singh 1999 Tiger Woods 2000‡ Tiger Woods† 2001 David Toms 2002 Rich Beem 2003 Shaun Micheel 2004 Vijay Singh† 2005 Phil Mickelson 2006 Tiger Woods 2007 Tiger Woods 2008 Pádraig Harrington 2009 Y. E. Yang 2010 Martin Kaymer† 2011 Keegan Bradley† 2012 Rory McIlroy 2013 Jason Dufner 2014 Rory McIlroy 2015 Jason Day

† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire

Larry Nelson in the Ryder Cup

United States Ryder Cup team – 1979

Andy Bean Lee Elder Hubert Green Mark Hayes Hale Irwin Tom Kite John Mahaffey Gil Morgan Larry Nelson Lee Trevino Lanny Wadkins Fuzzy Zoeller Billy Casper (non-playing captain)

Won: 17 – 11

United States Ryder Cup team – 1981

Ben Crenshaw Raymond Floyd Hale Irwin Tom Kite Bruce Lietzke Johnny Miller Larry Nelson Jack Nicklaus Jerry Pate Bill Rogers Lee Trevino Tom Watson Dave Marr (non-playing captain)

Won: 18.5 – 9.5

United States Ryder Cup team – 1987

Andy Bean Mark Calcavecchia Ben Crenshaw Tom Kite Larry Mize Larry Nelson Dan Pohl Scott Simpson Payne Stewart Curtis Strange Hal Sutton Lanny Wadkins Jack Nicklaus (non-playing captain)

Lost: 13 – 15

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 58271766

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