Nelson drawn to Retief's mild manner

Colin Byrne Caddie's RoleIn 1983, late in the morning of the final day of the Byron Nelson Classic, Ben Crenshaw joined a couple of other golfers at the players' dining area in the clubhouse at Las Colinas near Dallas, Texas. Crenshaw was leading the tournament and he brought with him to the dining table thoughts of success later that afternoon.

Before he ordered, the legendary Byron Nelson joined him. Crenshaw is well versed in golf history, so for Nelson to present himself at Crenshaw's table armed with a lifetime of anecdotes about his impressive playing days was too appetising to resist. Most players would head to the range about an hour before they were due to tee-off to warm up. Breaking routines, especially when leading the tournament, is not normal.

As the clock ticked and Nelson continued his tales, Crenshaw just couldn't tear himself away from the then 71-year-old raconteur. It was probably the best warm-up a tournament leader with a penchant for history could have had.

Twenty minutes before his tee-time Crenshaw jumped up and said he had better at least hit a few putts before he went to the first tee. Of course, he went on to win the first Nelson to be played at Las Colinas, continuing his own part in golf history along with his other role as historian.

This year is the 60th anniversary of the greatest achievement in golf. Byron Nelson dominated every event he played in from March 1945 till August that year, picking up 11 titles along the way and earning himself a bundle of War Bonds, the prize-fund of the day.

When they went back to earning dollars again after the war, Nelson recalled the security risk of being paid in wads of dollar bills. The top 20 were "in the money" in those days, their reward was a relative cut of the entrance fees which, of course, involved single dollar notes.

From Miami, Florida, to Charlotte, Greensboro and Durham in North Carolina, on over to Atlanta, up to Montreal, back to Philadelphia, across to Chicago and the PGA Championship, the Tam O'Shanter Open and culminating in the Canadian Open early August, Nelson set a record unlikely to be matched or bettered: 11 straight victories.

Getting around was not as easy as it is today, so travel to events could be an ordeal. When my player arrived in a private jet at Dallas Fort Worth airport last Monday, despite having spent about a day in the air indirectly back from South Africa, his journey did not compare with those of the gentleman who had come to the airport in order to greet the world's number five-ranked golfer. Byron Nelson took it upon himself to personally welcome Retief upon his arrival in Dallas to show his appreciation for Retief's decision to play in his event.

As Peggy Nelson, Byron's considerably younger wife of over 18 years, drove the two back to Las Colinas, the extremely lucid if somewhat immobile 93-year-old explained what it was like to travel overland back in the good old days. Despite being able to fly in a DC-3 in those days, the reality was that you had to drive most places, because if your luggage weighed an ounce over 44lb you had to buy another ticket. Unless you wanted to buy a seat specifically for your clubs you were on the road. Even if you did fly, the planes were still very slow. He once flew from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Seattle, Washington, and it took over 13 hours.

There seems to be a lot of respect in the States for the way Retief plays the game. His serenity, confidence and consistency, without a hint of ego, stands out in a country more accustomed to a more flamboyant manner from top sportsmen. Nelson seemed very aware of the quiet manner of Goosen, which was probably reminiscent of the way that he played and conducted himself.

Despite sitting in a special shaded area overlooking the 18th green and straight down the fairway, Byron was never one to demand attention. There are no elitist nick-names pegged to the great man, such as the King or the Shark.

He is just a humble man grateful for his talent and the life it gave him.

The empathy Nelson feels with Goosen is apparent from his press conference early last week.

"One thing I had to learn to do playing golf and to win tournaments was not to walk too fast. In my day the galleries were not roped off and they walked down the fairway with you.

"You'd hit a shot and all of a sudden people would rush to where they could see the next shot. The next thing you know you'd be rushing with them and you'd be out of breath or tired. Any time your breath got fast, you swung faster and your rhythm changed."

He also went on about how important it was to feel comfortable over the ball. Trademarks reminiscent of Retief: a good set up and rhythm. Perhaps Nelson thought he was revisiting his time as a player though Goosen.

The Dallas event changed to the Byron Nelson in 1968. This year the event hopes to raise over $6 million for a local child behavioural and education programme. It has already raised more than $82 million for charity and prides itself as a leader of fund raising though golf.

The elder statesman Nelson gives as much importance to the fact that his good name is attached to such a good cause as he does to his golfing records.

Having won five majors, had 65 consecutive top-10 finishes and 62 tournament wins, including three when he was officially retired, as much as the honourable Mr Nelson is proud to be associated with Retief Goosen, the South African is equally as flattered by the legend's hospitality at the tournament that carries his message of humility into the modern game.