Larry Nelson

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.

Larry Nelson
Nelson in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Larry Gene Nelson
Born	(1947-09-10) September 10, 1947 (age 77) Fort Payne, Alabama, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Career
College	Kennesaw Junior College
Turned professional	1971
Current tour(s)	Champions Tour
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	41
Highest ranking	12 (July 17, 1988)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	10
European Tour	3
Japan Golf Tour	4
PGA Tour Champions	19
Other	8
Best results in major championships (wins: 3)
Masters Tournament	5th: 1984
PGA Championship	Won: 1981, 1987
U.S. Open	Won: 1983
The Open Championship	T12: 1980
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 2006 (member page) Senior PGA Tour money list winner 2000 Senior PGA Tour Player of the Year 2000

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).^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[2]

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".^[5]

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

PGA Tour playoff record (3–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1979	Danny Thomas Memphis Classic	Gil Morgan	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
2	1979	Western Open	Ben Crenshaw	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1981	Greater Greensboro Open	Mark Hayes	Won with birdie on second extra hole
4	1987	PGA Championship	Lanny Wadkins	Won with par on first extra hole
5	1989	GTE Byron Nelson Classic	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	Yutaka Hagawa
2	Apr 24, 1983	Dunlop International Open1	−12 (67-65-69=201)*	1 stroke	Masahiro Kuramoto
3	Sep 10, 1989	Suntory Open	−12 (69-67-70-70=276)	Playoff	Saburo Fujiki
4	Nov 24, 1991	Dunlop Phoenix Tournament	−12 (70-71-67-68=276)	Playoff	Isao Aoki, Seve Ballesteros, Jay Don Blake

*Note: The 1983 Dunlop International Open was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
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	Tateo Ozaki	Lost to par on second extra hole
2	1989	Suntory Open	Saburo Fujiki	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1991	Dunlop Phoenix Tournament	Isao Aoki, Seve Ballesteros, 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	Dave Stockton
2	May 31, 1998	Pittsburgh Senior Classic	−12 (65-65-74=204)	5 strokes	Bob Duval
3	Sep 27, 1998	Boone Valley Classic	−16 (70-65-65=200)	2 strokes	Graham Marsh
4	Feb 21, 1999	GTE Classic	−8 (70-68-67=205)	2 strokes	Bruce Fleisher
5	May 2, 1999	Bruno's Memorial Classic	−11 (70-67-68=205)	1 stroke	Dana Quigley
6	Apr 23, 2000	Las Vegas Senior Classic	−19 (67-66-64=197)	5 strokes	Bruce Fleisher Hale Irwin
7	May 28, 2000	Boone Valley Classic (2)	−16 (66-66-68=200)	3 strokes	Tom Watson
8	Aug 27, 2000	FleetBoston Classic	−13 (67-70-66=203)	4 strokes	Jim Thorpe
9	Sep 3, 2000	Foremost Insurance Championship	−18 (66-69-63=198)	3 strokes	Dave Stockton
10	Sep 24, 2000	Bank One Senior Championship	−13 (67-68-68=203)	6 strokes	Bill Brask, Jim Thorpe
11	Oct 1, 2000	Vantage Championship	−12 (66-63-69=198)	Playoff	Jim Dent, Gil Morgan
12	Jan 24, 2001	MasterCard Championship	−19 (67-64-66=197)	1 stroke	Jim Thorpe
13	Feb 8, 2001	Royal Caribbean Classic	29 pts (6-15-8=29)	1 point	Vicente Fernández
14	Jun 24, 2001	FleetBoston Classic (2)	−15 (65-69-67=201)	3 strokes	Bruce Fleisher
15	Jul 8, 2001	Farmers Charity Classic (2)	−14 (67-67-68=202)	1 stroke	Jim Ahern
16	Oct 21, 2001	SBC Championship	−17 (67-69-63=199)	2 strokes	Bob Gilder, Gary McCord
17	Sep 14, 2003	Constellation Energy Classic	−9 (67-70-70=207)	2 strokes	Jim Dent, Doug Tewell
18	May 9, 2004	FedEx Kinko's Classic	−7 (73-69-67=209)	1 stroke	Bruce Lietzke
19	Oct 10, 2004	Administaff Small Business Classic	−14 (68-70-64=202)	Playoff	Hale Irwin

Champions Tour playoff record (2–3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1998	Cadillac NFL Golf Classic	Jim Colbert, Bob Dickson	Dickson won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1998	Kroger Senior Classic	Hugh Baiocchi, Bob Charles Frank Conner, Bruce Summerhays	Baiocchi won with birdie on second extra hole
3	2000	The Countrywide Tradition	Tom Kite, Tom Watson	Kite won with birdie on sixth extra hole Nelson eliminated by par on second hole
4	2000	Vantage Championship	Jim Dent, Gil Morgan	Nelson won with birdie on sixth extra hole Dent eliminated by birdie on first hole
5	2004	Administaff Small Business Classic	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	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	Fuzzy Zoeller
1983	U.S. Open	1 shot deficit	−4 (75-73-65-67=280)	1 stroke	Tom Watson
1987	PGA Championship (2)	3 shot deficit	−1 (70-72-73-72=287)	Playoff1	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	1998	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	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
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

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

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	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	1	3	3	14	9
U.S. Open	1	0	1	3	3	8	20	14
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	6
PGA Championship	2	0	0	2	2	4	27	13
Totals	3	0	1	6	8	17	70	42

• 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

  Top 10

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)

See also

• Biography portal

• 1973 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins