Lord Byron passes

Byron Nelson, last of his generation of giants, passed away today at 94.

His elegant swing was the standard; his low iron shots remain unparalleled; his 52 tournament victories place him No. 6 on the PGA Tour career list; his 18 tournament victories in 1945 remain a single-season record. That year, beyond his wins, he finished second 7 times, was never out of the top 10, and at one point played 19 consecutive rounds under 70. During a seven-year stretch in the 1940’s he made 113 consecutive tournament cuts, a string not beaten until Tiger Woods in 2003 passed him on his way to 142. His crowning achievement is one that no golfer has ever approached: 11 straight tournament victories in 1945 (his closest competition, Woods and Ben Hogan, have 6). Some say his victories that year are diminished because other greats were in the service, but his stroke average was 68.34 - a record that stood until, again, Woods. In PGA golf, it's strokes that count, not match play - how many you make, not who else is on the course; you play the course, not the others. And anyway, both Snead and Hogan played against Nelson many times that year.

The bridge at Augusta over Rae's Creek is named for him. Along with Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead, he was an honorary starter at the Masters; he was the last one to go, making his final ceremonial shot in 2001.

Nelson played golf to earn money: he wanted a ranch. He played for 14 years, bought that ranch, and then retired in 1946, leaving a legacy of records for others to aim at. Who knows how many more he would have set, how many would still be his, if he had kept playing?

Will we see his like again?