Byron Nelson set to open

By Matt Smith
Sports Editor

It is once again that time of year when Irving is put on a national stage and prepares for one of the largest events of the summer. The PGA Tour will make its annual stop in Las Colinas as the city prepares for the EDS Byron Nelson Classic. For the twenty-first year, the Nelson Classic will be played on the Tournament Players Course at the Four Seasons Resort and club in Las Colinas. The event, scheduled for May 11-18, will mark its thirty-sixth year on the PGA Tour.

This is a championship event in every respect. Golfer Byron Nelson won 19 championships in 1945, including an unmatched 11 in a row. His 19 consecutive rounds under 70 and scoring average of 68.33 strokes per round set the standard for golf’s greatest single season.

Among Nelson’s 52 all-time tour victories was the 1944 Dallas Open, which became the Byron Nelson Classic in 1968. The EDS Byron Nelson Classic is proud to be the only golf tournament on the PGA Tour named after a professional golfer.

All proceeds from the EDS Byron Nelson Classic are dedicated to supporting the activities of Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers, Inc., a non-profit organization that serves children and families in the greater Dallas area.

The Salesmanship Club continues to be the largest contributor to charity among PGA Tour events. It reported that the 2002 tournament raised $5.77 million in net proceeds for charity.

The Club also announced that the purse for the 2003 Nelson Classic has been raised to $5.6 million.

“By offering one of the largest purses on the PGA Tour, we are committed to attracting the top players in the world to the EDS Byron Nelson Championship,” said 2003 tournament chairman Randy Engstrom. “We are delighted to have EDS as our new title sponsor.”

Champion in 2002, Shigeki Maruyama will courageously defend his title against the likes of Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard and possibly Tiger Woods. The tournament officially begins May 15, with first-round coverage from the Four Seasons.