PGA TOUR: Ranking the five greatest individual seasons of all time
By Bill Felber
Why it’s the best season in history: Nelson won a record 11 consecutive tournaments, and a record 18 in all. His streak began March 8 at the Miami International Four Ball, a team event he won with Jug McSpaden, and continued through his August 4 victory at the Canadian Open.
For the season, Nelson made 30 tournament starts, the most of any of the greats whose seasons are being considered. Although records are spotty for that era – there was, after all, a war on, and the pro tour was not that much of a priority – the standard deviation of Nelson’s performance in the tournaments for which at least partial records exist is -1.90. In simpler terms, that means the average Nelson showing in 1945 was better than about 97.8 percent of his competitors.
Beyond his 18 victories, Nelson finished second seven times. He is credited with a 68.34 scoring average. The incompleteness of PGA Tour records from that time makes it impossible to objectively assess that in relation to present-day scoring averages – equipment and courses obviously have changed momentously. But this much is known: In the recorded history of the tour, only Woods (68.17 in 2000) has recorded a better season-long average.
What can be said against it: There’s little doubt that Nelson played against a weakened PGA Tour. Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret and Lloyd Mangrum were all in the military – in 1945 Mangrum was recovering from wounds suffered in the Battle of the Bulge – and for the entire season Nelson only faced them a total of nine times. He and Hogan each beat the other twice; Nelson won all five of his meetings with Demaret.
Nelson saw more of the era’s other great player, Sam Snead. They crossed paths in 11 tournaments, Nelson getting the better of Snead in eight of them.