The Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA) will honor one of golf’s all-time greatest players posthumously at its annual awards dinner. Byron Nelson will be bestowed with the prestigious Don A. Rossi Award at the GCBAA’s annual awards dinner on February 6, 2009 in New Orleans. Peggy Nelson will receive the award on behalf of her late husband.
The Rossi award is given annually by the GCBAA to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the game of golf and its growth, and have inspired others by its example. It is named for Don A. Rossi, who served as President of the National Golf Foundation from 1970 to 1983, was instrumental in forming the National Golf Course Owner’s Association, and served as Executive Director of the GCBAA from 1984 to 1990.
Nelson established himself as a great player in the 1930s and 1940s by winning 52 PGA events, including five major championships. Many experts point to his 11 consecutive tournament wins in 1945—a PGA record that still stands today— as his single greatest achievement. Nelson’s second-most recognized accomplishment was making 113 consecutive PGA tournament cuts, a feat surpassed only by Tiger Woods in recent years.
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