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| NICE DRIVE: Brooks Cullum chairs the 39th annual EDS Byron Nelson Championship. (DallasCEO is a sponsor of the event.) photography by Elizabeth Lavin |
Two things will be distinctly different at this year’s EDS Byron Nelson Championship. For the first time in 14 years, the tournament will take place in April rather than May. And, more poignantly, the tournament’s namesake will be noticeably absent. With the passing last September of golf legend and renowned humanitarian Byron Nelson, extra attention will be placed on Dallas’ favorite four days this year. “Byron was the most gracious, most gentlemanly of people,” says 2007 Tournament Chairman Brooks Cullum, who has planned for Nelson’s legacy to be honored over the span of the tournament, commemorating his accomplishments both on and off the golf course. Earnings from the tournament—the largest fundraiser on the PGA Tour—are expected to surpass the $100 million mark this year. The money raised goes to benefit the Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers, a nonprofit organization and tournament sponsor that provides education and mental health services for local children and families through programs like the J. Erik Jonsson Community School, Family Therapy, and the Family Works Center. Cullum, a 13-year member of the Club, hopes for good weather and good crowds, but mostly he hopes to maintain the charitable spirit that Nelson was famous for, saying, “We want to put on the best tournament possible and make Byron proud.”
