If you look at the record books for the most PGA Tour wins in a season, you’ll probably think there’s a typo. 18. That’s the number next to Byron Nelson’s name for the year 1945. To put that in perspective, if a modern player like Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy wins five times in a year, we start talking about them like they’re the second coming of Jack Nicklaus.
Winning 18 times? It's basically impossible now. Honestly, it was basically impossible back then, too.
Nelson didn't just win; he went on a tear that saw him capture 11 tournaments in a row. Let that sink in for a second. In a sport where a bad bounce or one lipped-out putt can ruin your week, he didn't lose for nearly four months. While the world was reeling from the tail end of World War II, "Lord Byron" was out there turning professional golf into his own private exhibition.
The Year of Byron Nelson (1945)
You've got to understand the context of 1945. A lot of people try to put an asterisk next to Nelson’s 18 wins because many of the top players were serving in the military. It’s a fair point, sort of. But it’s not like he was playing against a bunch of weekend hackers from the local muni.
Ben Hogan and Sam Snead were back and playing for a good chunk of that season. In fact, Snead won six times that year himself. Hogan won five. They just couldn't catch Nelson. He was playing a different game.
Breaking Down the 18 Wins
Nelson played 30 events that year. He won 18. That is a 60% win rate. In the events he didn't win, he finished second seven times. He never finished outside the top 10. His scoring average was 68.33, a number that stood for 55 years until a guy named Tiger Woods finally clipped it in 2000.
The 11-win streak started at the Miami International Four-Ball and didn't end until the Memphis Invitational in August, where he "collapsed" and finished tied for fourth. Imagine being so good that a fourth-place finish feels like a failure.
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Ben Hogan’s Double-Digit Dominance
If Nelson owns the gold medal for the most PGA Tour wins in a season, Ben Hogan owns the silver and the bronze. In 1946—the year immediately following Nelson's miracle run—Hogan went out and won 13 times.
He followed that up in 1948 by winning 10 more.
Hogan was the "Wee Ice Man." He was clinical. While Nelson’s 1945 was fueled by a hot putter and a smooth-as-silk swing, Hogan’s seasons were built on pure, unadulterated ball-striking. He’s the only player in history besides Nelson to post double-digit wins in multiple seasons.
- 1946: 13 Wins
- 1948: 10 Wins
It’s kind of wild to think that Hogan won 13 times in '46 and it's still widely considered the "second-best" season ever. Most players would give their left arm for a career total of 13 wins. Hogan did it in 12 months.
Sam Snead and the 1950 Surge
We can't talk about season-long dominance without mentioning Sam Snead. In 1950, "Slammin' Sammy" racked up 11 official victories.
Snead is often remembered for his longevity—he won on Tour in four different decades—but 1950 was his absolute peak. What’s crazy is that despite winning 11 times that year, he didn't win a single major. He was the ultimate "Friday through Sunday" closer, but the big four eluded him that particular calendar year.
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It just goes to show that the most PGA Tour wins in a season doesn't always equate to a "Grand Slam" style run. Sometimes, you’re just the king of the weekly grind.
The Modern Era: Tiger and Vijay
Fast forward to the era we actually remember watching on TV. The game changed. The fields got deeper, the equipment got better, and the travel got easier. Because the competition is so much stiffer now, the "win ceiling" has dropped significantly.
In the modern era (let's say post-1970), the magic number is nine.
Tiger Woods (2000)
In 2000, Tiger Woods won nine times. If you ask most golf historians, they’ll tell you this was actually a better season than Nelson’s 18-win run. Why? Because Tiger did it against the deepest fields in the history of the sport.
In those nine wins, he included three straight majors: the U.S. Open (by 15 shots!), the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. He was basically a glitch in the Matrix.
Vijay Singh (2004)
The only person to match Tiger's nine-win modern mark was Vijay Singh in 2004. People sort of forget how terrifying Vijay was that year. He was 41 years old and out-working guys half his age. He took the World No. 1 ranking from Tiger and looked like he might never give it back. He played 29 events—a huge schedule for a top player—and just kept grinding out trophies.
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Why 18 Wins Will Never Happen Again
Let's be real. Nobody is ever winning 18 times in a season again. Heck, nobody is probably winning 10 times again.
The Depth of Talent
Back in the 40s, there were maybe 10 or 15 guys who could realistically win any given week. Today? There are 120 guys in every field who can shoot 64 if their putter gets hot. You can play nearly perfect golf and still get beat by a guy ranked 150th in the world who happens to have the week of his life.
The Schedule
In Nelson’s day, you played every week because that’s how you got paid. Today, the top stars are so wealthy that they play a "limited" schedule of 18 to 22 events. If you only play 20 times, you’d have to win 90% of your starts to hit Nelson’s mark. Even Tiger in his prime couldn't do that.
Physicality and Burnout
The modern swing is violent. The travel is constant. Players today manage their "peak" for the majors. They aren't trying to win the Greater Greensboro Open in the middle of July if it means they'll be tired for the PGA Championship. Nelson and Snead were ironmen; they played through everything.
Actionable Insights for Golf Fans
Understanding these records gives you a better appreciation for what we're seeing today. When you see a player win three or four times in a year, you’re witnessing a historic performance, even if it’s not 18.
- Contextualize Wins: When comparing eras, look at the "Field Strength" and "Scoring Average" relative to the field. Tiger’s 2000 scoring average was more impressive relative to his peers than Nelson’s was in 1945.
- Watch the "Three-Win" Mark: In the current PGA Tour climate, winning three times in a season is the benchmark for an "elite" year. Anything above five is legendary.
- Appreciate the Grind: The next time a player wins back-to-back weeks, remember Byron Nelson won eleven in a row. It puts the difficulty of "closing" into a whole new perspective.
If you want to dive deeper into golf history, look up the 1945 tournament logs for the Essex County Open or the Canadian Open. Seeing the margins of victory—Nelson frequently won by 6, 8, or 10 strokes—really hits home how much he was toyed with the competition. It wasn't just that he won; it was that he made everyone else look like they were playing a different sport.
To truly understand the weight of these records, keep an eye on the current PGA Tour money leaders and their win counts. While the purses have exploded into the tens of millions, the sheer frequency of winning remains the rarest commodity in sports. We might see a $20 million winner every year now, but we won't see an 18-win season again in our lifetime.