Byron Nelson (1912-2006) was a legendary American golfer known for his remarkable achievements in the sport. Turning professional in 1932, Nelson won 52 PGA Tour events, including five major championships: the Masters (1937), U.S. Open (1939), British Open (1937), and PGA Championship (1940, 1945). He set a record with 11 consecutive PGA Tour wins in 1945, a record that still stands. Nelson was named PGA Tour Player of the Year five times and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. After retiring from competitive golf, he became a successful instructor and mentor, contributing to the growth of the sport. Nelson is remembered for his exceptional skill, sportsmanship, and significant impact on golf.
1. “One way to break up any kind of tension is good deep breathing.”
— Byron Nelson
2. “Every great player has learned the two Cs: how to concentrate and how to maintain composure.”
— Byron Nelson
3. “Golf is a lot like life. When you make a decision, stick with it.”
— Byron Nelson
4. “The only shots you can be sure of are those you’ve had already.”
— Byron Nelson
5. “Out-of-control emotions can make smart people stupid.”
— Byron Nelson
6. “The only thing you should force in a golf swing is the club back in the bag.”
— Byron Nelson
7. “To control your nerves, you must have a positive thought in your mind.”
— Byron Nelson
8. “The first step in building a solid, dependable attitude is to be realistic, not only about your inherent capabilities, but also about how well you are playing to those capabilities on any given day.”
— Byron Nelson
9. “Golf is a percentage game, and I play the percentages.”
— Byron Nelson
10. “Winners are different. They’re a different breed of cat.”
— Byron Nelson
11. “No golfer ever gets so consistently good that he can’t use some constructive advice. No matter how many trophies he may win, he can’t analyze and remedy his own faults.”
— Byron Nelson
12. “I played the British Open in 1937. It took a week to get there and a week to get home. I was the low American; finished fourth or fifth. And what it came down to was, I lost a good part of my summer, won $185, and spent $1,000 on boat fare alone.”
— Byron Nelson
13. “Putting affects the nerves more than anything. I would actually get nauseated over three-footers.”
— Byron Nelson
14. “Sam Snead did to the tee-shot what Roger Bannister did to the four-minute mile.”
— Byron Nelson
15. “In my day we simply didn’t believe that it was possible to play as well as these young fellows do. We thought that strength denied touch and that you could not consistently hit the ball both long and straight. It’s been proven that you can.”
— Byron Nelson
16. “Arnold Palmer has what I call an ‘Eisenhower smile’. Those two men, they’d smile and their whole faces would look so pleasant; it was like they were smiling all over.”
— Byron Nelson
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