Byron Nelson: The Story of Golf's Finest Gentleman and The Greatest Winning Streak in History

The American Golfer, Inc. / Broadway Books, 1997. Q5 - A first edition (stated with complete numberline) hardcover book SIGNED by Byron Nelson on the half-title page in very good condition that has some bumped corners, small scribbled line marker on the bottom of the front free endpaper, soiled patch with some chipping on the top of some first pages, light tanning and shelf wear with no dust jacket. CLASSIC PHOTOS OF THE GREAT BYRON NELSON - FOREWORD BY BEN CRENSHAW - ESSAYS BY DAVE ANDERSON, TOM WATSON, NICK SEITZ AND DAN JENKINS - ANALYSIS BY KEN VENTURI. 14.25"x11", 159 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Byron Nelson was the top player in the game for several years during and immediately after World War II. In 1945, he won 18 tour events, 11 of them in a row. These records were never equalled on tour before and, as the years go by, look nearly impossible to equal in the future. He then retired at the age of 34. But, Nelson was much more than just a golfer. He was a pioneer in the golf business, helping develop both the golf shoes and umbrellas that we enjoy today, an astute club pro, a fine teacher, one of the first golf analysts on network television and the mentor of many, many young golf hopefuls, including Ken Venturi and Tom Watson. In words and pictures, Byron Nelson: The Story of Golf's Finest Gentleman and The Greatest Winning Streak in History tells the incredible story of Byron Nelson. We are indeed fortunate to be able to enlist the aid of some of the finest players and writers on the golf scene today - Ben Crenshaw, the two-time Masters winner and noted golf historian, Dave Anderson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times, Tom Watson, the five-time British Open champion, Nick Seitz, the Editor-in-Chief of Golf Digest, Dan Jenkins, the witty long-time columnist for Sports Illustrated and Golf Digest, and Ken Venturi, CBS television golf analyst and 1964 U.S. Open champion. In addition, statistician Sal Johnson of Golfweek magazine has compiled and brough up to date Byron's complete record. The majority of the black-and-white photos in this book are 50 years old or older. Each was carefully selected out of a total of about 6,000 viewed. To bring out their full dimension and richness, those we have selected were first color separated and then printed in five colors on some of the finest paper available by one of the world's foremost printers. We hope you enjoy the fruit of our labors. BYRON NELSON (John Byron Nelson Jr.) was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. Nelson and two other legendary champions of the time, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, were born within seven months of each other in 1912. Although he won many tournaments in the course of his relatively brief career, he is mostly remembered today for having won 11 consecutive tournaments and 18 total tournaments in 1945. He retired officially at the age of 34 to be a rancher, later becoming a commentator and lending his name to the Byron Nelson Classic, the first PGA Tour event to be named for a professional golfer. As a former Masters champion he continued to play in that annual tournament, placing in the top-10 six times between 1947 and 1955 and as high as 15th in 1965. In 1974, Nelson received the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He became the second recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He received the 1994 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor. Nelson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006. . Signed. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall.