[asleep]

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/...5847-0,00.html

The Invisible Man
Larry Nelson, overlooked for most of his career, looks back at his 1983 U.S. Open victory at Oakmont

By Gary Van Sickle
Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated
Published: May 28, 2007

Kiawah Island, S.C. — He is a Hall of Famer now and has been for more than a year, so you can say yes, Larry Nelson finally got his due. He won two PGA Championships and a U.S. Open, was a Ryder Cup killer with a 9-3-1 record and was considered one of the tour's best ballstrikers, especially with middle irons, for years. His place in history is secure.

Realistically, though, he still seems like golf's Invisible Man. There was the Ryder Cup captaincy pass-over, when he was apparently next in line for the job but curiously didn't get it. There is his still-lingering image as "vanilla," when in fact he's one of the more interesting interviews in the game. There's the case of the missing highlights. You want to watch video of Nelson winning the Open at Oakmont in 1983? You can find highlight videos for every other year, but if you want to watch clips of Nelson's win, you have to snag the 1982 U.S. Open video. There's a pathetically small amount of footage of Nelson winning the next year attached at the end.

There was the rip-job done on him by an eccentric, long-gone Pittsburgh columnist who blasted him for being boring while shooting 65-67 in the last two rounds to win the '83 Open, when he outdueled Tom Watson. Trust me, 65-67 is never boring at Oakmont.

Now add the Golf Channel, which touts itself as the home of golf, to the list of those snubbing Nelson. Have you seen Golf Channel's promo for its upcoming U.S. Open coverage at Oakmont? The spot is lathered thick with Oakmont history — images of Ben Hogan in '53, Jack Nicklaus in '62, Johnny Miller in '73 and Ernie Els in '94. They are all shown, and all of Oakmont's Open champions from the past half-century are mentioned. Except for Nelson.

Say it again for effect: Except for Nelson.

"I told my wife, just tell my why they would leave out '83?" Nelson said. "Is there somebody out there saying, 'Let's not mention Larry.' I mean, I beat two of the best players in the world that week — Seve Ballesteros and Tom Watson. I'm actually going to call the Golf Channel and say, just for my benefit, I'd like to know. I could care less. I'm done and all that stuff, but this is what's happened throughout my career. Somebody inside the Golf Channel, just tell me why you would leave my name out. I don't care, but why? Why?"

...READ THE BODY OF THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE...

..."When I played there in '83 and was looking at some of the winners who seemed so old, you thought about Nicklaus and Hogan," Nelson said. "Now they're playing there in 2007, and I'm the old guy. I'm the one who won it way back in 1983."

Indeed, he did. Somebody tell the Golf Channel.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/...5847-0,00.html