Larry Gene Nelson (born September 10, 1947) is an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf p ...

who has won numerous tournaments at both the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

and

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many year ...

level. Nelson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama and grew up in Acworth, Georgia, northwest of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. He did not play the game as a child – atypical for a successful professional golfer – in high school he focused on

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. Nelson took up golf at the age of 21, after he returned from serving in the infantry in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

(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 William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory an ...

'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 and turned professional the following year. He qualified for the PGA Tour at 27. 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

, including three major championships. He earned his first major title at the 1981

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

, which he won by four strokes. 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 Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of five players (alon ...

. 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

, and won the title with a par at the first playoff hole. Nelson played on the U.S.

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

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 The Japan Golf Tour ( ja, 日本ゴルフツアー機構) is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third-highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for seniors) men's professional tours after t ...

. Nelson also finished runner-up at the 1982

Dunlop Phoenix Tournament The is a professional golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. It is played in November at the Phoenix Country Club in Miyazaki, Miyazaki is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The city was founded on Apri ...

and the 1987 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters. In addition, he finished runner-up at the PGA Tour of Australasia's 1987

New Zealand Open The New Zealand Open is the premier men's golf tournament in New Zealand. It has been a regular fixture on the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament schedule since the 1970s. The 2019 event was the 100th edition of the tournament. Since 2014 it h ...

, losing to Northern Ireland's Ronan Rafferty in a playoff. Since turning 50 in 1997, Nelson has had a successful

career, winning 19 times, although he has not won a senior major. He was elected to the

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...

in April 2006 and inducted 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". Nelson is also active in golf course design and created th
LagRx Swing Trainer
to help golfers condition and improve their muscle memory.

Professional wins (41)

PGA Tour wins (10)

PGA Tour playoff record (3–2)

Japan Golf Tour wins (4)

''*Note: The 1983 Dunlop International Open was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.''
¹Co-sanctioned by the

Asia Golf Circuit The Asia Golf Circuit was the principal men's professional golf tour in Southeast Asia from the early 1960s through to the mid-late 1990s. The tour was founded in 1961 as the Far East Circuit. The first series of five tournaments was held in 1962 ...

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (2–1)

Other wins (2)

*1978

Georgia Open The Georgia Open is the Georgia (USA) state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Georgia section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1954 at a variety of courses around the ...

*1988

PGA Grand Slam of Golf PGA is an acronym or initialism that may stand for: Aviation * IATA code for Page Municipal Airport, Coconino County, Arizona * ICAO designator for Portugália, regional airline based in Lisbon, Portugal * Abbreviation for Prince George Airpor ...

(United States - unofficial event)

Champions Tour wins (19)

Champions Tour playoff record (2–3)

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)

Major championships

Wins (3)

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

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1984 Open Championship)
DQ = disqualified
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

*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

CUT = missed the halfway cut
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

: 1979 (winners), 1981 (winners), 1987 * UBS Warburg Cup: 2001 (winners) *

Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge The Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge was an unofficial golf event held in November at the Rio Secco Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada. The tournament was a unique stroke play event, and, as the name suggests, pitted three teams, with three members per team, fr ...

(representing Senior PGA Tour): 1997, 1998 (winners)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Larry American male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Winners of men's major golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Golfers from Alabama Golfers from Georgia (U.S. state) Kennesaw State University alumni People from Fort Payne, Alabama Sportspeople from Cobb County, Georgia 1947 births Living people