Golf legend Byron Nelson mourned

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Byron Nelson, one of golf’s greatest players, died Tuesday at his home in Roanoke, Texas. He was 94.

Nelson’s list of credentials places him among professional golf’s all-time greatest players. Known for his textbook form and mechanics, Nelson won five major championships, including the Masters twice, the P.G.A. Championship twice, and the United States Open once. Those wins were just five of his 52 career tournament wins, placing him fifth on the all-time wins list.

Perhaps his most notable accomplishments occurred during his historic 1945 season. Lord Byron, as he was nicknamed, went on an unbelievable streak of 11 consecutive tournament wins, still a record to this day. He rode that streak to finish with 18 wins on the season, another record-setting total that still stands today.

Byron once held the record for 113 consecutive tournament cuts made, a mark he set during the 1940s. Current golf star Tiger Woods was able to top this mark in 2003.

Born on February 4, 1912, he has the distinction of being the only professional golfer with a tournament named after him. In 1968, the Dallas Open, held annually in Irving, Texas, was renamed the Byron Nelson Golf Classic, and later the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, in his honor.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy.