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PGA Tour HP Byron Nelson Championship

By Brent Kelley, About.com

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Byron Nelson Championship

Byron Nelson greets Tiger Woods on the first tee during the first round of the 2004 Byron Nelson Championship. Nelson greeted players as they teed off, then as they came off the course at the end of the final round.

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

About the PGA Tour HP Byron Nelson Championship:

The PGA Tour Byron Nelson Championship started out as the Dallas Open, and Byron Nelson himself won the first one in 1944. The tournament was known as the Byron Nelson Classic for much of its history. Nelson hosted the event from his seat off the 18th green, greeting each year's winner as the champion walked off the green, right up until the year of his death in 2006.

2010 Byron Nelson Championship
• When: May 20-23
• Where: TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas

2009 Tournament
Rory Sabbatini set a tournament record at 261, breaking by a stroke the old record shared by Loren Roberts and Steve Pate. Sabbatini posted rounds of 68, 64, 65 and 64, finishing two strokes in front of runner-up Brian Davis.

Official Web site
PGA Tour tournament site

PGA Tour HP Byron Nelson Championship Records:

  • Overall record: 261 - Rory Sabbatini, 2009
  • Tournament course record: TPC Las Colinas course - 61, Billy Mayfair, 1993; Charlie Rymer, 1996; Justin Leonard, 2001. Cottonwood Valley course - 60, Arron Oberholser, 2006

PGA Tour HP Byron Nelson Championship Golf Courses:

The Byron Nelson Championship is currently hosted by the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas in the tony Las Colinas section of Irving, near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The resort's two courses, TPC Las Colinas and Cottonwood Valley Country Club, share the first two rounds, with TPC Las Colinas the site for the final two rounds.

Other Host Courses
(courses in Dallas unless noted)

  • Lakewood Country Club
  • Dallas Country Club
  • Brook Hollow Country Club
  • Preston Hollow Country Club
  • Glen Lakes Country Club
  • Oak Cliff Country Club
  • Preston Trail Golf Club
  • Las Colinas Sports Club (Irving)

PGA Tour HP Byron Nelson Championship Trivia and Notes:

  • The first winner of the Byron Nelson Championship was ... Byron Nelson. The tournament was called the Dallas Open when Nelson won its first playing in 1944.
  • The first three winners of this event were Nelson, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan.
  • Snead won for the second and third times, back-to-back, in 1957-58. For the third win, Snead was 46 years, 12 days old, the record for oldest champion at this event.
  • The tournament became known as the Byron Nelson Golf Classic in 1968. Nelson was the first PGA Tour player to have a tournament named for him.
  • Jack Nicklaus won the Nelson back-to-back in 1970-71. In 1970, he defeated Arnold Palmer in a playoff for the championship.
  • Snead and Nicklaus are the only back-to-back winners, but Tom Watson is the only back-to-back-to-back winner. Watson won three straight in 1978-80. Watson, a protege of Byron Nelson, also won in 1975 for a tournament record four wins total.
  • There have been in inordinate number of playoffs at the Byron Nelson Championship. Since 1970, there have been 15 playoffs.
  • Tiger Woods' record streak of 142 consecutive cuts made ended at the 2005 Byron Nelson Championship.

    • PGA Tour EDS Byron Nelson Championship Winners:


    (p-playoff; w-weather shortened)

    HP Byron Nelson Championship
    2009 - Rory Sabbatini, 261

    EDS Byron Nelson Championship
    2008 - Adam Scott, 273
    2007 - Scott Verplank, 267
    2006 - Brett Wetterich, 268
    2005 - Ted Purdy, 265
    2004 - Sergio Garcia-p, 270
    2003 - Vijay Singh, 265

    Verizon Byron Nelson Championship
    2002 - Shigeki Maruyama, 266
    2001 - Robert Damron-p, 263

    GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic
    2000 - Jesper Parnevik-p, 269
    1999 - Loren Roberts-p, 262
    1998 - John Cook, 265
    1997 - Tiger Woods, 263
    1996 - Phil Mickelson, 265
    1995 - Ernie Els, 263
    1994 - Neal Lancaster-p-w, 132
    1993 - Scott Simpson, 270
    1992 - Billy Ray Brown-p-w, 199
    1991 - Nick Price, 270
    1990 - Payne Stewart-w, 202
    1989 - Jodie Mudd-p, 265
    1988 - Bruce Lietzke-p, 271

    Byron Nelson Golf Classic
    1987 - Fred Couples-p, 266
    1986 - Andy Bean, 269
    1985 - Bob Eastwood-p, 272
    1984 - Craig Stadler, 276
    1983 - Ben Crenshaw, 273
    1982 - Bob Gilder, 266
    1981 - Bruce Lietzke-p, 281
    1980 - Tom Watson, 274
    1979 - Tom Watson-p, 275
    1978 - Tom Watson, 272
    1977 - Raymond Floyd, 276
    1976 - Mark Hayes, 273
    1975 - Tom Watson, 269
    1974 - Bud Allin, 269
    1973 - Lanny Wadkins-p, 277
    1972 - Chi Chi Rodriguez-p, 273
    1971 - Jack Nicklaus, 274
    1970 - Jack Nicklaus-p, 274
    1969 - Bruce Devlin, 277
    1968 - Miller Barber, 270

    Dallas Open
    1967 - Bert Yancey, 274
    1966 - Roberto De Vicenzo, 276
    1965 - No Tournament
    1964 - Charles Coody, 271
    1963 - No Tournament
    1962 - Billy Maxwell, 277
    1961 - Earl Stewart Jr., 278
    1960 - Johnny Pott-p, 275
    1959 - Julius Boros, 274
    1958 - Sam Snead-p, 272
    1957 - Sam Snead, 264
    1956 - Peter Thomson-p, 267
    1956 - Don January, 268
    1947-1955 - No Tournament
    1946 - Ben Hogan, 284
    1945 - Sam Snead, 276
    1944 - Byron Nelson, 276

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