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Larry Nelson

American professional golfer

Field	Value
name	Larry Nelson
image	Larry Nelson (cropped).jpg
imagesize
caption	Nelson in 2023
fullname	Larry Gene Nelson
birth_date
birth_place	Fort Payne, Alabama, U.S.
death_date
height
weight	150 lb
nationality
residence	Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
college	Kennesaw Junior College
yearpro	1971
retired
tour	Champions Tour
extour	PGA Tour
prowins	41
pgawins	10
eurowins	3
japwins	4
champwins	19
seneurowins
otherwins	8
majorwins	3
masters	5th: 1984
usopen	Won: 1983
open	T12: 1980
pga	Won: 1981, 1987
wghofid	larry-nelson
wghofyear	2006
award1	Senior PGA Tour
money list winner
year1	2000
award2	Senior PGA Tour
Player of the Year
year2	2000
awardssection
module	{{Infobox person	embed=yes
signature	Larry_Nelson_signature.jpg

money list winner](senior-pga-tour-money-list-winners) Player of the Year](senior-pga-tour-player-of-the-year) Larry Gene Nelson (born September 10, 1947) is an American professional golfer. He has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level.

Early life and amateur career

Nelson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama and grew up in Acworth, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta. He did not play the game growing up – atypical for a successful professional golfer – focusing 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). 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. He soon discovered that he had a talent for the game, breaking 100 the first time he played and 70 within nine months. Nelson went on to graduate from Kennesaw Junior College in 1970.

Professional career

In 1971, Nelson turned professional. He qualified for the PGA Tour at 1973 PGA Tour Qualifying School. Nelson's 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 over Fuzzy Zoeller. In 1983, Nelson was victorious at the U.S. Open at Oakmont coming from seven behind at the halfway 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. His 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 the PGA Championship. He won the title with a par at the first playoff hole.

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.

Nelson also had great success internationally. He won four tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour. Nelson also finished runner-up at the 1982 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, 1985 Suntory Open, and the 1987 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters in Japan. In addition, in 1987 he finished runner-up at the New Zealand Open on the PGA Tour of Australia. He lost to Northern Ireland's Ronan Rafferty in a sudden-death playoff.

Since turning 50 in 1997, Nelson has had a very successful Champions Tour career, winning 19 times.

Nelson is also active in golf course design and created the LagRx Swing Trainer to help golfers condition and improve their muscle memory.

Honors

Nelson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in October 2006.

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".

Professional wins (41)

PGA Tour wins (10)

Legend
Major championships (3)
Other PGA Tour (7)

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	USA Grier Jones
2	Jul 8, 1979	Western Open	−2 (71-69-70-76=286)	Playoff	USA Ben Crenshaw
3	Jun 8, 1980	Atlanta Classic	−18 (66-69-68-67=270)	7 strokes	USA Andy Bean, USA Don Pooley
4	Apr 5, 1981	Greater Greensboro Open	−7 (69-68-69-75=281)	Playoff	USA Mark Hayes
5	Aug 9, 1981	PGA Championship	−7 (70-66-66-71=273)	4 strokes	USA Fuzzy Zoeller
6	Jun 19, 1983	U.S. Open	−4 (75-73-65-67=280)	1 stroke	USA Tom Watson
7	Oct 21, 1984	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic	−22 (66-66-64-70=266)	1 stroke	USA Hubert Green
8	Aug 9, 1987	PGA Championship (2)	−1 (70-72-73-72=287)	Playoff	USA Lanny Wadkins
9	Oct 18, 1987	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic (2)	−20 (68-69-68-63=268)	1 stroke	USA Morris Hatalsky, USA Mark O'Meara
10	Jun 26, 1988	Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic (2)	−20 (63-66-66-73=268)	1 stroke	USA Chip Beck

PGA Tour playoff record (3–2)

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

PGA of Japan Tour wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of
victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Oct 12, 1980	Tokai Classic	−14 (72-69-66-67=274)	1 stroke	JPN Yutaka Hagawa
2	Apr 24, 1983	Dunlop International Open1	name=weather	Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.}}	1 stroke	JPN Masahiro Kuramoto
3	Sep 10, 1989	Suntory Open	−12 (69-67-70-70=276)	Playoff	JPN Saburo Fujiki
4	Nov 24, 1991	Dunlop Phoenix Tournament	−12 (70-71-67-68=276)	Playoff	JPN Isao Aoki, ESP Seve Ballesteros,
USA Jay Don Blake

1Co-sanctioned by the Asia Golf Circuit

PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (2–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1985	Suntory Open	JPN Tateo Ozaki	Lost to par on second extra hole
2	1989	Suntory Open	JPN Saburo Fujiki	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1991	Dunlop Phoenix Tournament	JPN Isao Aoki, ESP Seve Ballesteros,
USA Jay Don Blake	Won with par on fourth extra hole
Ballesteros eliminated by birdie on third hole
Blake eliminated by par on first hole

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	USA Dave Stockton
2	May 31, 1998	Pittsburgh Senior Classic	−12 (65-65-74=204)	5 strokes	USA Bob Duval
3	Sep 27, 1998	Boone Valley Classic	−16 (70-65-65=200)	2 strokes	AUS Graham Marsh
4	Feb 21, 1999	GTE Classic	−8 (70-68-67=205)	2 strokes	USA Bruce Fleisher
5	May 2, 1999	Bruno's Memorial Classic	−11 (70-67-68=205)	1 stroke	USA Dana Quigley
6	Apr 23, 2000	Las Vegas Senior Classic	−19 (67-66-64=197)	5 strokes	USA Bruce Fleisher USA Hale Irwin
7	May 28, 2000	Boone Valley Classic (2)	−16 (66-66-68=200)	3 strokes	USA Tom Watson
8	Aug 27, 2000	FleetBoston Classic	−13 (67-70-66=203)	4 strokes	USA Jim Thorpe
9	Sep 3, 2000	Foremost Insurance Championship	−18 (66-69-63=198)	3 strokes	USA Dave Stockton
10	Sep 24, 2000	Bank One Senior Championship	−13 (67-68-68=203)	6 strokes	USA Bill Brask, USA Jim Thorpe
11	Oct 1, 2000	Vantage Championship	−12 (66-63-69=198)	Playoff	USA Jim Dent, USA Gil Morgan
12	Jan 24, 2001	MasterCard Championship	−19 (67-64-66=197)	1 stroke	USA Jim Thorpe
13	Feb 8, 2001	Royal Caribbean Classic	29 pts (6-15-8=29)	1 point	ARG Vicente Fernández
14	Jun 24, 2001	FleetBoston Classic (2)	−15 (65-69-67=201)	3 strokes	USA Bruce Fleisher
15	Jul 8, 2001	Farmers Charity Classic (2)	−14 (67-67-68=202)	1 stroke	USA Jim Ahern
16	Oct 21, 2001	SBC Championship	−17 (67-69-63=199)	2 strokes	USA Bob Gilder, USA Gary McCord
17	Sep 14, 2003	Constellation Energy Classic	−9 (67-70-70=207)	2 strokes	USA Jim Dent, USA Doug Tewell
18	May 9, 2004	FedEx Kinko's Classic	−7 (73-69-67=209)	1 stroke	USA Bruce Lietzke
19	Oct 10, 2004	Administaff Small Business Classic	−14 (68-70-64=202)	Playoff	USA Hale Irwin

Champions Tour playoff record (2–3)

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

Other senior wins (6)

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)

Playoff record

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1987	Nissan-Mobil New Zealand Open	NIR Ronan Rafferty	Lost to par on seventh extra hole

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	USA Fuzzy Zoeller
1983	U.S. Open	1 shot deficit	−4 (75-73-65-67=280)	1 stroke	USA Tom Watson
1987	PGA Championship (2)	3 shot deficit	−1 (70-72-73-72=287)	Playoff1	USA Lanny Wadkins

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

Results timeline

Tournament	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament				T31
U.S. Open	T21	T54	CUT	T4
The Open Championship
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		T32	T53	CUT	T56	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	1999
Masters Tournament	48	55	DQ
U.S. Open	T14	T3	CUT	T46	CUT			CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	CUT	CUT	T28	T56	CUT	CUT	WD	T71	CUT

Tournament	2001	2002	2006
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	CUT	CUT	CUT

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

CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1984 Open Championship)

DQ = disqualified

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

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

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

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
The Players Championship	CUT	T72	T39	T8	T4	T20	DQ	CUT	T10	CUT	T62	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	T59

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
The Players Championship	T16	T23	CUT	CUT	T55	CUT	T62	CUT	CUT

CUT = missed the halfway cut

DQ = disqualified

"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Ryder Cup: 1979 (winners), 1981 (winners), 1987
UBS Warburg Cup: 2001 (winners)
Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Senior PGA Tour): 1997, 1998 (winners)

Notes

References

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

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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