I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4902 
To award a Congressional gold medal to Byron Nelson in recognition of 
his significant contributions to the game of golf as a player, a teacher, 
and a commentator. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 8, 2006 
Mr. BURGESS (for himself and Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional gold medal to Byron Nelson in 
recognition of his significant contributions to the game 
of golf as a player, a teacher, and a commentator. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Byron Nelson Congres-
sional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Byron Nelson was a top player in the sport 
of golf during the World War II era and his accom-
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plishments as a player, a teacher, and commentator 
are renowned. 
(2) Byron Nelson won 54 career victories, in-
cluding a record 11 in a row in 1945, during his 
short 13-year career. 
(3) Byron Nelson won 5 majors, including 2 
Masters (1937 and 1942), two Professional Golf As-
sociation (PGA) Championships (1940 and 1945) 
and the U.S. Open (1939). 
(4) Sports journalist Bill Nichols recently 
ranked the greatest seasons on the PGA tour for 
The Dallas Morning News and picked Roanoke, 
Texas-resident Byron Nelson’s 1945 tour as the 
greatest season of golf in American history. 
(5) In 1945, Byron Nelson accumulated 18 
total victories, 11 of which were consecutive, while 
averaging 68.33 strokes per round for 30 tour-
naments. 
(6) At the Seattle Open in 1945, Byron Nelson 
shot a record 62 for 18 holes and the world record 
259, 29 shots under par for 72 holes. 
(7) Byron Nelson is one of only two golfers to 
be named ‘‘Male Athlete of the Year’’ twice by the 
Associated Press: in 1944, when he won 7 tour-
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naments and averaged 69.67 strokes for 85 rounds, 
and again after his 1945 season. 
(8) The World Golf Hall of Fame honored 
Byron Nelson in 2004 by featuring an exhibit enti-
tled ‘‘Byron Nelson: A Champion . . . A Gen-
tleman’’. 
(9) Byron Nelson was selected for the Ryder 
Cup 4 times—in 1937, 1939, 1947 and 1965, and 
on that last occasion he led the United States Ryder 
Cup team as team captain to victory over Great 
Britain. 
(10) Byron Nelson was also a pioneer in the 
golf business, helping to develop the golf shoes and 
umbrellas used today. 
(11) In 1966, True Temper created the ‘‘Iron 
Byron’’ robot to replicate Byron Nelson’s swing in 
order to test the company’s equipment, but the robot 
was eventually used for club and ball testing by the 
United States Golf Association (USGA) and many 
other manufacturing companies. 
(12) Byron Nelson mentored many golf hope-
fuls, including 1964 Player of the Year Ken Venturi 
and 6-time PGA Player of the Year Tom Watson. 
(13) Byron Nelson was one of the first golf an-
alysts on network television where his understanding 
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of the game in general, and the golf swing in par-
ticular, was demonstrably profound. 
(14) Byron Nelson received the United States 
Golf Association’s Bob Jones Award for distin-
guished sportsmanship in golf in 1974. 
(15) In 1974, the Golf Writers Association of 
America presented Byron Nelson with the Richard-
son Award for consistently outstanding contributions 
to golf. 
(16) Since 1983, the Byron and Louise Nelson 
Golf 
Endowment 
Fund 
has 
provided 
over 
$1,500,000 in endowment funds to Abilene Christian 
University in Abilene, Texas. 
(17) Byron Nelson received the PGA Distin-
guished Service Award in 1993. This award is pre-
sented to an individual who has helped perpetuate 
the ideals and values of the PGA. 
(18) Byron Nelson has served as an honorary 
chairperson for the Metroport Meals on Wheels since 
1992. 
(19) In 1994, the Golf Course Superintendents 
Association of America presented Byron Nelson with 
the Old Tom Morris Award for outstanding con-
tributions to the game. 
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(20) Byron Nelson helped to develop the Tour-
nament Players Course (TPC) Four Seasons at Los 
Colinas, Texas, site of the EDS Byron Nelson 
Championship and the Byron Nelson Golf School, 
into a world-class facility. 
(21) The EDS Byron Nelson Championship is 
the only PGA tour event named in honor of a pro-
fessional golfer and traditionally attracts the strong-
est players in the sport. 
(22) Since its inception, the EDS Byron Nelson 
Championship has raised $88,000,000 for Salesman-
ship Club Youth and Family Centers, a nonprofit 
agency that provides education and mental health 
services for more than 2,700 children and their fam-
ilies in the greater Dallas area. 
(23) In 2002, Byron Nelson received the pres-
tigious Donald Ross Award from the American Soci-
ety of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) for his sig-
nificant contribution to the game of golf and the 
profession of golf course architecture. 
(24) The United States Golf Association pre-
sented Byron Nelson the Ike Grainger Award for 
volunteer service to the game of golf in 2002. 
(25) In 2002, the National Golf Foundation 
presented Byron Nelson with the Graffis Award for 
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