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Byron Nelson had a huge impact on Scott Verplank''s career and life. So it was only fitting for Verplank to win the Byron Nelson Classic in it''s first year after Mr. Neslon''s death.

"I was a little kid, you know, riding out in the backseat of somebody''s car going out to watch the Byron Nelson when it was at Preston Trail back in the ''70s. You know, I walked around, I ran around, watching Tom Watson play. Seemed to me like he won every year at Preston Trail, and I think I was there for all of them.

"I loved watching him play. I knew that he was a close friend of Byron, and that was another reason why I always … admired Tom. I guess it''s like a kid peeking through the wall of a baseball stadium and wanting to be on the Yankees one day. That''s what it was like for me. I was a kid wanting to do that.

"Byron was so great to me for 26 years that I knew him. He kind of took me under his wing when I was a kid. I''m pretty sure I was 17; I think I was a senior in high school. He called me up and said, ''This is Byron Nelson,'' and I can''t speak. He says, ''Would you like me to watch you hit some golf balls?'' I think I was just barely smart enough to say, ''Yes, please,'' and the guy was great to me."

Continue reading in Verplank''s own words