Larry Nelson - Part 3 (The Ryder Cup and Senior Tour)

Mike Gonzalez 0:15

Welcome to another edition of For the Good of the Game and Bruce Devlin. We've got a World Golf Hall of Famer that's come back to see us. Isn't that right, too?

Bruce Devlin 0:24

Yeah, well well, just to remind everybody, this gentleman won 41 professional golf tournaments, three major championships, served his country in Vietnam. So everybody knows who we've got. It's Larry Nelson. Larry, thanks for being with us again.

Larry Nelson 0:43

Bruce and Mike, thank you very much. Always enjoyed talking to you guys. And uh it's always to talk to people who know about the game of golf. So, you know, through our career, we have we talked to a lot of people who really don't.

Mike Gonzalez 0:56

So great to have you, Larry. Great to have you back, and and we'll remind our listeners of what we've covered uh in our first session with you. Of course, we had a chance to go back and talk about uh you as a little boy growing up, uh how you came to the game late, your your career in the military, and uh how you really came to the game pretty quickly in terms of uh you know going from zero to s to a hundred pretty quickly in terms of your skills with the golf clubs.

Larry Nelson 1:23

Yeah, that was uh, you know, I was just uh I kind of enjoyed the game because I played team sports all my life, and um, you know, my shortstop make an error and I'd lose the ball game. And so it was kind of nice uh to have a sport that it was kind of up to you. Um and if you played bad, it was you to blame. If you played good, you could get the rewards for it. And so uh golf just kind of fit into my mindset at that time, and uh it was a sport that I could see I could get better every day, or I was, you know, I could see the progress. Um, and I think that's the reason I fell in love with it.

Mike Gonzalez 2:01

Yeah, your progress was awfully quick with the game. Of course, we had a chance to go through uh most of your regular tour career. We talked about uh your major wins, those being the 1981 PGA athletic club, the the 1983 U.S. Open at Fabled Oakmont, and then the PGA Championship, which you won in 1987 at PGA National, which back then I think they probably called that golf course the champ, if I'm not mistaken. Is that right? Do you remember that?

Larry Nelson 2:29

Yeah, I think that's right. Uh they did change it a little bit uh after, uh I guess after the PGA. Um, and uh, of course, uh Jack, I guess, redesigned uh most of the golf courses. So the last four holes are a little different than the one when I won in '87.

Mike Gonzalez 2:46

Yeah. Well, we'll let you two guys compare notes on your experiences with the open championship because uh last time we did talk about the Masters, talked about the U.S. Open, talked about the PGA, and you know, looking through your uh uh your time in playing several open championships, I think you played in nine, and you you were able to play most of the modern venues back during your day, weren't you?

Larry Nelson 3:11

Yeah, they had a certain rotation back then. Um I know that some of the golf courses they're playing now, of course they didn't have when I played. Um yeah, pretty much I played all the older venues, uh Turnberry, uh Troon, um, of course, the old course. Um we played uh I can't remember all of them. Um and you know, it was uh different back then. Um you had to finish in a top ten to make expenses. I mean, uh, you know, the money wasn't all that good. And uh for someone who's just trying to make a living playing the game, um it was hard for me to make a decision to spend all that money to go over there. And that's actually one of the reasons I I I one of the things I really regret about starting late in the game, uh, that I didn't have um uh a good idea about the masters and uh um and the open championship. Um it just wasn't uh I wasn't taught that at an early age. I didn't learn to love or want that experience. Um and it was so different than what we played over here in the United States that it was really hard for me to judge the nine times that I uh went over there to play. Um so anyway, that's one of the things I really regret uh about my career is I did not have uh the pre-knowledge um and just the desire to really go over there and play. And um so I regret that.

Bruce Devlin 4:52

What was your favorite course over there, Larry? Which one did you enjoy the most?

Larry Nelson 4:59

Um I enjoyed Murfield probably uh more than any of them, but we had terrible weather both times I played over there during that night. And uh I mean it was I mean, I I remember some of the I mean the rough's real high, um and winds blowing 30 and it's about 40 degrees, and um I mean it it was just a terrible experience. And maybe not quite as bad as St. George's was one year when I played. But um and and you know that unless you unless you really unless that's really, really, really, really important, it's hard to get into that. You know, it's hard to get into a 40 degree weather with a 30 mile 35 mile an hour wind. Um but some people love it. Watson loved it. I mean he loved it, and that was the reason why he did so well over there. Um I guess being in Kansas City or from Kansas City, you probably played in that weather quite a bit. But believe being from the south, you know, I know Bruce, if you're like me, I don't play unless the temperature is about my age.

Bruce Devlin 6:06

I'm with you, pal.

Larry Nelson 6:07

So anyway, that was one of the struggles that I had.

Mike Gonzalez 6:11

Yeah, you know, as we've talked to players, Bruce, uh uh over the over the last couple of years about their open championship experience, we heard from others as well that uh it was difficult to get in the right mindset. Some guys came into Augusta convinced that their game wasn't suited for the for for Augusta National. Others went into the Open Championship just convinced that they didn't like that kind of weather to play in.

Bruce Devlin 6:34

Larry's correct about uh what he says too, you know, in the in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s, that you know, it financially it wasn't a a good trip to make because you know you get tired going over there and coming back, and you know, like he said, you got to finish in the top, you know, definitely in the top ten to even cover expenses. So it wasn't uh that's why a lot of players didn't go.

Mike Gonzalez 7:00

Yeah, it uh it wasn't official money for quite a long time for you guys. I can remember, I think it was Dave Stockton, Bruce, that told us back in 1968, uh he went, and of course, he he he very rarely, if ever, went over there. Uh wanted to travel with family, and that was too expensive. So he stayed home, but he played the Milwaukee Open, and uh Lee Trevino uh decided to stay in the States and play in the Milwaukee Open that year. Uh the Milwaukee Open for first place, forty thousand dollars. The Open Championship for first place, six thousand pounds. Yeah. It just didn't pay to play.

Larry Nelson 7:40

Uh you know, it was it was difficult, especially if you wanted to travel, you know, with your wife. And uh so it it was a decision that we had to make every year based on you know how we did during that year. And uh I think I played um every year from like uh 79, or I say every year. Uh my nine times that I played over there uh was from 79 until I I can't remember exactly the last, probably 87 or something. Um or and I skipped a few uh during that time. Like I played Earl St. George's and didn't go back.

Mike Gonzalez 8:21

Uh I I I kind of noticed that. So I I I see as I go through your record, the first one you played in Muirfield 1980, that's the one Watson won. That was your best finish in the Open Championship, too. You played well that that first one.

Larry Nelson 8:34

I played well, yeah. The first year I did at uh I think the weather might have been pretty decent the first year I played there. Um and uh I had won the open uh in 83, um and uh somehow I just didn't feel like going over there in '83. But uh as the open champ in '83, I decided that I would go back or go to the British. And uh people had told me that um, you know, that was probably the best golf course over there, or more like what we play here in the United States. Uh so I decided I would uh give it a shot. And uh it was certainly much different than rural Berkeley or uh Burkdale uh and some of the some of the other golf courses. But um, you know, it w it was a good experience, the first one. We had a really nice place to stay. We stayed right on the property there.

Mike Gonzalez 9:25

Um at Grey Walls?

Larry Nelson 9:27

Yeah, in the Rose Garden. I mean, our room was surrounded by a rose garden. So my manager did a good good job getting a good place to stay there that year.

Mike Gonzalez 9:38

Yeah, the next year was at at Royal St. George's, and for guys to skip, that's a year, Billy Rogers one, but uh you know, for guys to say they're skipping Royal St. George's, uh for people that have played the course, they'd say I don't blame you.

Larry Nelson 9:51

I know. I think it was so funny. I was watching during the Royal St. George's, I was watching the TV uh that morning, and I was watching David Graham on the one par three, and I can't remember what it was. It's not was not a long par three, and he was hitting eight iron uh into this par three. And I get up there and play that afternoon, and we get there, I'm having to hit three iron into this. I mean, it I don't know how hard the wind was blowing, but it was right in the face. So the things change a lot. Um and uh I think I played trune one year, and and Bruce, you can tell me, I mean, trune goes out one way, and then there's one hole that goes kind of uh opposite direction, and you come back in the opposite direction, you go straight out and straight back in. I played nine holes straight into the wind. When I got to that hole that kind of went sideways, the wind stopped. Then it turned eight holes back into the wind. Into the wind. I mean, me and Nick Faldo had in that same time slot or around that same time slot. And I think he ended up making the cut or playing pretty well. I just I didn't handle it. I was so ticked that uh you know this would happen. But I mean that's the way you can you can fly over there and you can make all the stuff, and then all of a sudden you get caught in the bad weather pairings and you don't really have a shot.

Mike Gonzalez 11:15

Yeah, yeah. You you I think the the only two uh other than Port Rush, which just came into the rotation, but the only two that you missed would have been uh Hoylake, which is relatively straightforward, and uh you didn't get your chance at Carnasty.

Larry Nelson 11:29

No, no, I had heard a lot about that golf course. So it was uh I I was kind of sorry that I never got to play that because it was in the older rotation, I understand. Yes, it was, and then they kind of took out for a while. Uh so uh we never had the opportunity to go. And uh so sorry I missed that one.

Mike Gonzalez 11:49

Well, let's move on to the Ryder Cup if we can. And and you know, again, looking back at this era, Larry, um, as as you know, looking back on history, how the Ryder Cup competition transformed about the time you started with it. Uh so going back to your first appearance, which would have been a team win at the Greenbrier, uh playing under Captain Billy Casper, going against a team uh headed up by John Jacobs. This is 1979, and for the first time, it's not G B and I anymore. No.

Larry Nelson 12:24

No, this is the first European group. Uh and Sevy was the huge star. I mean, he was he was the person uh in the world of golf. Um and uh all I can say is that everybody wanted to play him. Everybody from the United States wanted to play him because they had heard so much about him. And uh I think he had already he had won the Masters, I guess, um prior to that, uh, or the British Open or the Open, uh, or maybe both, I don't know. But he was fairly young, but he had had a pretty good career at that point. Um and Lanny and I uh Lanny went to Billy Casper and says, listen, Larry doesn't play match play, he's not played any team golf. He said, uh, and and I played really pretty well. I was playing well in '79. Uh ended up finishing second on the money list that year. And so Lanny uh told uh told Billy he'd like to take me as his partner. And uh so anyway, he and I, Lanny and I played four times and beat Sevi and his partner three of those times.

Bruce Devlin 13:30

Yeah, yeah.

Larry Nelson 13:30

Um and uh strong yeah, and everybody wanted to play Sevi on the individual part, and you know, it's just a blind draw. I mean, you know, they put the teams, you know, in the thing and they draw them out, who's gonna be playing who, and I got Sevi individually. So I ended up beating Sevi individually on the 16th hole, uh, and finished five and oh in that Ryder Cup. Laney and I won every match we had, and then I won my individual match.

Mike Gonzalez 14:02

So, two questions about that blind draw.

Larry Nelson 14:05

Uh-huh.

Mike Gonzalez 14:06

How did you feel about the singles draw? And how do you think Sevi felt about the singles draw?

Larry Nelson 14:12

Well, Sevi probably wanted to get a little revenge, and uh, I just wanted to prove that I beat him individually. So we both went into this match uh with something to do. Uh and I mean it was uh, you know, just a great day. I mean, uh he played well, and I just happened to play just a little bit better that day.

Mike Gonzalez 14:33

Yeah, so to your point, Sevy had won that year the open championship.

Larry Nelson 14:38

Okay.

Mike Gonzalez 14:38

Yeah, and I think he was to win the Masters maybe the following year. But uh you know, you go back to that 79 team and you look at sort of the fab five of Europe that were going to start emerging here. You had Faldo on that team already pre-1979, but the rookies were, of course, guarrito's partner, this the other Spaniard that played with with the Sevy against you. But Sandy Lyle was a rookie that year as well. So now in 79, you had three of the five guys on the scene and starting to, you know, show what they could do. The Americans probably still not quite aware of what they were going to be facing the next few years.

Larry Nelson 15:15

Well, no, that's true. And uh we you know, it was done so that uh they would have a better opportunity to get a competitive team. I mean, that was the whole reason for this. And um and yes, uh they did they did become more than competitive.

Bruce Devlin 15:33

Yes, they did.

Larry Nelson 15:36

After a few years, so it's kind of nice to see.

Mike Gonzalez 15:39

Yeah, and and I don't think the Europeans uh had won at this point uh since 1957. So it'd been a long time since they won. They were yet to win. I mean, here we are in '79. You guys win, uh, as you mentioned, going 5-0 in competition. And then we come uh the next one, and uh you go across the pond to probably plan the old course at Walton Heath.

Larry Nelson 16:04

Yeah, you know, I in 81, um, I had not had I'd won the Atlanta Classic in 80, and then um I won um actually a tournament earlier in the year in 81, uh, and I was not exempt. I mean, I would had not made the team, and the only way that I could make the team that year was actually to win the PGA. And uh and so I ended up winning the PGA here in Atlanta in 81, and that got me on the 81 team. Um and just happened to be how I got in there or by winning the PGA, it happened to be, I think, the best Ryder Cup team in history. Um if you look I think uh eleven of the twelve had won a major championship, uh or would go on to win a major championship, and I think ten of the twelve are in the Hall of Fame. Um so it was one of those that you know you just look at the team, um and that's probably one of my best moments is standing in the locker room celebrating the victory with Nicholas and Trevino. And I have that picture in my Ryder Cup thing. So uh it was a fun time. And and Dave Maher was a tremendous coach. I mean, I'd love Dave Maher, and uh so it was just really, really fun to have him being the captain that year.

Mike Gonzalez 17:31

Yeah, well, to your point, in terms of strength of team, just for our listeners, we'll kind of tick down some of these names, many of them Hall of Famers. Uh, of course, Larry Nelson, uh, but we've got Tom Watson on that team, we've got Raymond Floyd on that team, Litzke, Kite, Irwin, Jerry Pate, Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw, Johnny Miller, Jack Nicholas, and the guy who was player of the world that year in 1981, Billy Rogers. Yeah.

Bruce Devlin 17:59

Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 18:00

Yeah. What a team, huh?

Larry Nelson 18:01

It was Bruce Litsky was the only person in that off net team that had not won a major. And he had won everything else. I mean, so he he was probably the best player on tour that had not won a major. So, I mean, it was 12 guys that were really pretty good players.

Mike Gonzalez 18:18

Yeah, you played with uh Pate and Trevino, I think, uh in your partners' deals that year, right?

Larry Nelson 18:24

Yeah, I'm not sure. I don't know if it was kite. I know I played with Trevino. I I really couldn't remember um my teammates. Lanny didn't uh Lanny was hurt or something. He wasn't there. So Lanny and I didn't play in '81.

Mike Gonzalez 18:39

Um you're right. It was kite. You played with uh you played with Trevino in the morning foursoms, and then the second day you you you opened up in the morning with Jerry Pate. Uh afternoon you went with Jerry Pate. You guys were kind of on a roll. And then uh, and then your singles match, of course, against Mark James. So you were uh you were 4-0 that one too.

Larry Nelson 19:01

Yeah, so I was nine-o in my first two Ryder Cups.

Mike Gonzalez 19:05

Pretty fancy.

Larry Nelson 19:07

Well, yeah, I don't know if it's happened before or since, but um, I think it was just this past Ryder Cup uh that Johnson um actually went five and oh. So he was the first American to do that since I did it.

Mike Gonzalez 19:24

Yeah. So as we talked about, this European team is building, they brought in this young German rookie that year.

Larry Nelson 19:31

Yeah, and he and I have faced each other Yeah, Bernhardt. Bernhard played in the single matches when in '87 in the Ryder Cup. Um and probably um one of the more competitive people I've ever played. And for him to do as well as he done, he's done throughout his career with the putting issues that he had throughout his career, uh, is really amazing. This shows how much of a genius he is, golf wise, in in my opinion.

Mike Gonzalez 20:00

Yeah. Uh Bruce and I have been with Bernhard now for about four and a half hours over three sessions to tell his full story. I bet we spent 18 to 20 minutes talking about his history with the Yips. Yeah.

Larry Nelson 20:13

Oh. Everybody knew it. Everybody knew I mean Jack was upset with me because I gave him a two-footer on the last hole uh up at Mirrorfield. I said, listen, I I had a two and a half footer also. So I mean, uh we said good, good. I said it'd been a good match. This was on the 18th hole. I said, uh Bernhard, yeah, I'm ready to, you know, just uh we tied, let's go.

Bruce Devlin 20:41

Yeah. Yeah.

Larry Nelson 20:42

So anyway, if I won that match, it wouldn't have made any difference. So or I mean, if I'd lost, it made it worse. So yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 20:50

Well, before we jump in to 87, I think it would be good just to remind our listeners of kind of what happened on the way to get there, because uh in 83, this was at PJ National, and and uh I think Jack was the captain that year. The fifth of the of the Fab Five from Europe came on the scene. Ian Woosman Woosman was a rookie that year, and and of course they came really close, and Lanny had to stuff one at the end there to sort of uh seal the seal the win for the for the U.S. And then you go to 85 and they go back across the pond, and Europe prevails for the first time, as I said, since 1957. Uh Tony Jackland, of course, had taken the team over in uh in 1983 down at uh in Palm Beach Gardens. And and Tony, you know, made it a point when he became captain. He says, look, he says, uh, we're not gonna be second rate dressers, we're not gonna be second rate flyers, we're not gonna be second rate hotel guests, we're gonna do this deal first class and see if we can compete with these boys.

Larry Nelson 21:48

I I think that's great. I love Tony. Tony's a really a good guy. I I I love him more as a friend than a captain.

Bruce Devlin 21:55

I mean, yeah, as captain. Understandable.

unknown 21:59

Yeah.

Larry Nelson 22:00

Yeah, but he uh you know I didn't play in even though I won the open in 83, I was not uh did not qualify for the Ryder Cup uh that year. Um in '85 kind of the same way. And uh thank goodness I won the PGA in '87 and actually qualified for the 87 one. But I remember watching, I mean, to me the Ryder Cup matches uh is the best golf on TV. Uh and it has been. Um really since the European uh era. Um I mean 79-71, you may have seen highlights or maybe a two-hour something during the day, but um nothing like what it is now. Uh Ryder Cup much bigger now throughout the world than you know what it was when we played. It was just kind of a friendly match between the US and England at that time or Europe.

Mike Gonzalez 22:54

Yeah. Even as late as 79, I'm not sure they were yet showing it live in the US.

Larry Nelson 23:00

Probably not. Um, but um it was a good one. I'm sorry they didn't. I I don't even know if I can pull any video out of that one.

Mike Gonzalez 23:09

So anyway, take us through the the 1987 experience then with Jack as the captain at his at his course. Uh that had to be a tough one.

Larry Nelson 23:23

Well, it it it was a tough loss. Um, but you know what's interesting, um we always played Mirfield in the spring. I always played it in May or you know, whatever. And yeah, um the the golf course was always wet, it was always slow, uh, slow being the fairways and all that kind of stuff. And then all of a sudden we have the Ryder Cup matches in September. Now we're playing a totally different golf course. I mean, it it was than than we had ever played before. And the European team came over and they said, Oh, we just love this thing. You can hit the ball and rose forever, the greens are firm and all that.

Intro Music 24:00

Yeah.

Larry Nelson 24:01

I I think I think we were just uh kind of uh we i it was hard to unlearn what we had learned playing there for so many years about what the ball was going to do, where to hit it, and all that kind of stuff. So uh and it's not taking anything away from how well the Europeans played, but I think we were probably at more of a disadvantage uh than the Europeans were. Uh they took the golf course as it was. We were playing it as it as it used to be. Yeah. And uh so we just got whipped. They just played better than we did. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 24:38

I think that's the one where uh Crenshaw in his singles match on about the sixth hole uh might have had something happen to his putter.

Larry Nelson 24:47

Yeah, I've I've heard about that. We didn't didn't hear much about it, but uh I mean it was all hearsay or whatever, how the putter led it and made its demise. And so it uh in something I I mean he's had the same putter forever. So uh I've probably he was probably much more upset about hurting his putter than he was at the time when it made him upset.

Mike Gonzalez 25:14

Yeah. Well, we we've had uh we've had eight of your teammates from the U.S. side on our podcast. We've had four of the opposing side on the podcast, uh, including captains and um Lanny Watkins, who was about our second guest, we start talking about this, and I thought tears were gonna come into his eyes. He said that was the the most painful experience he's probably ever had in golf.

Larry Nelson 25:40

Oh, it was, and uh, you know, Lanny and I had never been beat, had never been beat in the Ryder Cup. And um and so, you know, the first of the week, we Lanny and I played uh together, kind of approaching it that way. And then Jack uh decided, I think, uh on the night before the first round that he would split Lanny and I up. Um and it was a surprise to me and Lanny that he did that. And um, but I you know, in a way I understand why Jack did it. Um there were some guys there that didn't have any experience in the Ryder Cup. And so he separated Lanny and I and put us with, I mean, I played with Payne Stewart, and I think that was his first Ryder Cup.

Intro Music 26:24

Yeah.

Larry Nelson 26:25

And so I played with him, and then uh I can't remember who Lanny played with, um, but I may have been Larry Mys or something like that. So anyway, right, you're right. So anyway, um, and he finally put us back together, uh, I guess on Friday after our Saturday afternoon or something like that. And uh I don't think we fared any better once we got back together.

Mike Gonzalez 26:50

Well, you know, looking back uh as we kind of switch gears and start focusing on what comes next after your regular tour, uh you had, I guess, in terms of your regular tour, if we look through the progression, uh you had a win uh in 91 at Hazeltine. Uh, but at some point, uh, you know, the tour was, I guess, substantial enough at that point to give it some consideration when you turn 50. You know, there's opportunity to compete, have some fun, make some money, see some old friends. What did you do uh to sort of bridge that gap? Uh, because I don't know that you were active on the regular PGA tour up till age 50, were you?

Larry Nelson 27:30

Well, I actually finished second at Durrell um uh the year I turned 50. Uh I mean I played sparingly. I had a really good design business, golf course design business. Uh was doing golf courses pretty much all over the world, and that was a lot of fun for me. Um, I mean, that was kind of in the boom of golf course design worldwide. And I mean, I'm in Indonesia and you know, Singapore, Japan, uh Saipan, uh, and several in the United States uh in doing several of them at the same time. So um it was a very lucrative business, and I was very happy with it um and enjoy it, but I still still played, um, just not as much. I kind of played the Jack Nicholas schedule, you know, 14 events or whatever, right? The ones that I kind of like to play. Uh, but I was really looking forward to turning 50. Um, I mean, it was one of those things that um it was it was gonna be fun. And the year before um I played um uh turned fifty, uh Hale Irwin was the leading money winner on all tours, uh playing the champion, playing the senior tour. So the money was good there. Um, so I mean it was um so everybody was looking forward to turning 50 at that time. They were still playing playing decent.

Mike Gonzalez 29:04

So you were fairly active. It wasn't a big transition then in terms of getting your body and your game in shape. You were you played right into it.

Larry Nelson 29:11

I did. Uh I I was just ready to go, and they had a big party the year uh the the week that I turned 50. Um Taylor Made did a good job, took us out to Las Vegas, had a big party there. So I mean it was a big deal. And um so it was uh up until that time uh$6,000 was my biggest contract. So uh Taylor made I made a little bit more money than$6,000, so that was a good deal.

Bruce Devlin 29:40

Just to give people an idea about your uh senior tour, uh 1988 you won three times, 1999 you won twice, and then in 2000 and 2001, you won 11 times. So you they were they were a couple of great years, six times in 2000 and five times in 2001, Larry. You were you were on a roll, man.

Larry Nelson 30:08

Well, it was so much fun. I mean it it um and it I you know I I never went back to look at my record uh exactly about I knew I had won um five or six times uh each of those two years, but I finished second probably ten times. I mean it was you know one of those things where uh it seemed like every week um that uh you know I played well. But you know, for some reason I became a really good putter in night in 1997, and I cannot figure it out how I wasted all my career on the regular tour not being able to putt. But when I got to the champions tour, for some reason I started making everything. And uh, Bruce, you know, when we can putt, we can play.

Bruce Devlin 30:55

Yeah, I know. And listen, just to give people an idea, in those victories from April of 2000 to October of 21, in all of your wins, you never shot over 69. Do you realize that? Every single one of them under 70.

Larry Nelson 31:16

Yeah, I uh yeah. I I wish I could still do that. But you go you go you go through a stage your life where you know the ball just goes in the hole. Yeah. And uh everything looks good to you, and you're just having a good time. And uh so that's what my years on the senior tour were.

Mike Gonzalez 31:37

Well, 19 wins in total over a seven-year period. That that that ties you for twelfth on the all-time list. Of course, uh that all-time list made the news this past year, didn't it?

Larry Nelson 31:48

Yeah. Oh, it did. It did.

Mike Gonzalez 31:51

Pretty substantial uh uh victory by uh Bernhardt in the in the U.S. Seniors Open up at uh Century World to uh uh take down some of a couple of Wisconsin kids and Stricker and uh and Jerry Kelly to get his uh his win, which took him one past uh Hale Irwin, which uh probably was a record a lot of people thought would never be broken.

Larry Nelson 32:12

Well, and he did it at what 65 or how old was he? I I can't remember, I don't know what his age was won that one.

Bruce Devlin 32:18

I think he was 66, wasn't he?

Larry Nelson 32:20

66. So it was more impressive to me that he played that well at 66 than it being his one one plus hell part.

Bruce Devlin 32:30

Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 32:32

Yeah. So uh what caused you to hang it up on the senior tour? Other interests, uh uh uh body giving out? What what happened?

Larry Nelson 32:40

No, I just got to where I couldn't play the way I wanted to play anymore. Um, I mean, I played up until I was 70 and um just felt like that uh was not competitive. Now you're 20 years older than the guys that are coming out. I mean, that makes a lot of difference. Uh so uh just uh may hopefully smart enough to know when to say, okay, guys, it's y'all's turn. Uh I've enjoyed this. And and I I I tell you what, I understand everyone like Nicholas and Trevino and Palmer, um, they really miss competing, you know, and that took me three years. It it took me three years to kind of calm down. I mean, we lived off excitement. I mean, the the the rush, and and we didn't even realize that that was what was going on. And then all of a sudden you stopped doing it. Yeah. Uh, and it it takes a while to say, you know, I'm I'm not doing that anymore.

Mike Gonzalez 33:40

Yeah. That that's interesting. So I want you guys to compare notes. I've heard Bruce talk about this a lot, and that has to do with the the retirement plans that you guys had. Uh the PGA tour retirement plan wasn't too lucrative, but once you guys got to the seniors, that helped a little bit, didn't it?

Larry Nelson 33:58

Well, it did help. I mean, matter of fact, uh they were, you know, they had the super senior tour on the senior tour when I went out there to help some of the guys that didn't have a little bit of the retirement plan prior to. But not that ours was great. I mean it Yeah, exactly. Mine started had three years of that uh before I turned 50 or something. I don't I don't know how many years it was, but uh, you know, you got guys retiring now with twenty million dollars or whatever from their all the s all the cuts and all that stuff. And I mean, uh it wasn't anywhere near that uh when uh Bruce and I played.

Bruce Devlin 34:39

Do you know what my check was from the PGA tour? From the PGA tour. What? You know lump sum. You know how, yeah, lump sum. My lump sum payment from the PGA tour. Got any idea?

Larry Nelson 34:54

No, I have no idea. No.

Bruce Devlin 34:57

$4,600. That was it. Now, senior tour was better. I I got a little more on the senior tour, but that's amazing, isn't it?

Larry Nelson 35:10

Yeah, I mean, I don't know exactly, I mean, because they're all were combined when I finally stopped playing. And uh I don't remember exactly what my PGA tour was, but uh not anywhere near what the champions tour was.

Mike Gonzalez 35:24

Right. So tell our listeners a little bit about what Larry Nelson has been up to since hanging it up on the senior tour. What uh keeps you occupied these days?

Larry Nelson 35:34

Oh, grandchildren. You know, I've learned lacrosse. I know what lacrosse, I can actually go out and watch it and um and see and understand some of the rulings and uh the nuances of the game. So uh I'm learning new things. I'm still learning, um, still do a lot of charity stuff, uh do a lot of things for veterans, um and uh the Hope Foundation with the PGA tour. Uh so um there are a lot of things that I do um that definitely keeps me occupied. Uh so uh I don't miss the competition anymore. Um like I said, I did for three or four years after I stopped, but I'm enjoying um just being um you know with my grandchildren. And so uh that's kind of what it's all about. We get to a certain point where other lives are more important than your own. And uh kind of weird at this point.

Mike Gonzalez 36:34

Yeah. So uh uh we hear that there could be a project in the works that may capture your life story on on film. Is that something that you think uh may happen?

Larry Nelson 36:48

Um it's in process. Um, you know, it's one of those things that you know, I had so many people tell me through my career that somebody just needs to make a movie about this. You started playing golf at age 22, um, end up winning three majors and end up in the Hall of Fame. Uh, has that ever happened before? I said, not to my knowledge, it hasn't happened. And they said, well, somebody needs to make a movie about that. And I said, uh, well, you know, it it was fun for me. I, you know, I didn't think anything too much about it. And I had some people approach me and they said that they they went they bought the to do it. And uh so uh there was a process of it. Uh thus the um life story part uh is already written, so it's going to the uh um just what the actors will say at this point. And so uh we'll see uh you know what happens from that. But um it's exciting, it's something to work on.

unknown 37:55

Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 37:55

Well hopefully they'll they'll write in a cameo role for you.

Larry Nelson 38:00

Yeah, maybe they'll walk the railway, but uh I was trying to figure out uh you know who might play me at this point, and I was thinking maybe the rock, maybe he could play me, and uh that would work. Yeah, anyway, we'll uh we'll see if it happens. Uh we're hoping that it does. Uh seems a little bit momentum uh right now, so um we'll see where it goes from there. But it goes through my military life and uh young married life and my golf career uh up until I think 1981 when I won the PGA. Yeah, yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 38:40

Bruce, anything else you want to ask or Larry, anything else you want to touch on before we kind of put a bow on this?

Larry Nelson 38:46

No, but I just want to say congratulations to y'all. Um, I mean, um what y'all have done um for the golf world uh over really relatively short period of time uh is very impressive. And uh so Bruce, I know you're a great competitor, and then this is a competitive competitive market, and y'all have done very, very well. And I always enjoy talking to y'all um and just love what you guys do.

Bruce Devlin 39:14

Yeah, thank you. So, Larry, we we need to wrap this up now. So um just just before we leave you, I I gotta tell folks that don't know you were Alabama Hall of Fame, Georgia Hall of Fame, World Golf Hall of Fame. Uh you received the PGA Distinguished Service Award, uh, which is quite an honor. Uh you're a faithful man, you've been in the golf course design, and Mike and I thank you for your time. It's been uh our pleasure having you with us. And I have one last question for you.

Larry Nelson 39:50

Yes, sir.

Bruce Devlin 39:52

How would you like to be remembered?

Larry Nelson 39:56

Um just as a good man that um treated everyone the same. That's kind of what my father told me. Nobody's gooder, nobody's worser than you.

Bruce Devlin 40:11

There you go. So thank you, my friend. That was great.

Larry Nelson 40:16

All right. Well, thank you, guys. Looking forward to talking to you again, even if it's not on your podcast.

Mike Gonzalez 40:22

All right, thanks, Larry. Hopefully, we'll see you up in Pinehurst at the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction.

Larry Nelson 40:27

Looking forward to it. All right, thank you. Thank you.

Mike Gonzalez 40:30

Thank you for listening to another episode of For the Good of the Game. And please, wherever you listen to your podcast on Apple and Spotify, if you like what you hear, please subscribe, spread the word, and tell your friends until we tee it up again for the good of the game, song, everybody.