Byron Nelson's Personal c.1939-1940 MacGregor Tourney 693 Oil Hardened Driver
From Don Kepler's historical collection comes 'Iron' Byron Nelson's extraordinary personal used 'Byron Nelson' Oil Hardened No. 693 driver. Tommy Armour 693 oil hardened Tourney woods were ordered by professionals with their own names on the crown, as Nelson did for this. They were not listed in the catalogs, but special ordered and that day's 'choice of champions' - along with the other pro MacGregor Custom Shop options of 945 and M85 irons, woods and putters. The custom 693 line continued to be inserted into major champion's bags from the late 1930's until the 1960's. Touching on the end of that timeline was the MacGregor Golf History Catalog book compiled by Jim Kaplan. "Played at time by Nicklaus, Trevino, many other Tour pros, the Armour 693 (and 'T') is the most famous and expensive of woods," it mentioned. A chance to acquire the two-time Masters champion's driver is presented with this lot.
When was the start of the 11-straight start tour winner in 1945's relationship with MacGregor? "That was in 1939", Nelson recalled via Miami Valley Golf webpage. "Toney Penna and Tommy Armour had a lot to do with my signing with MacGregor. I signed the contract on June 1, 1939, picked out a set of MacGregor clubs from Armour's shop in Boca Raton, and two weeks later used them to win the US Open." On June 1, 1939, Nelson agreed to a handshake deal and grabbed a new set of MacGregors off the rack in Armour’s pro shop. Two weeks later, Nelson won the U.S. Open. A signed Letter of Provenance from Dave Pesacov will accompany this lot. 42"
The Don Kepler Collection
"Those who knew Don understood that golfing was his life’s passion, and he was involved in the sport his whole life," the Palm Beach County Golf Association said of Don Kepler. An eventual Jupiter, Florida resident and golf coach for both our consignor David Pesacov and PGA Tour major champion Mark Calcavecchia, Kepler attended Bowling Green State University where he was on the Men's Golfing and Swimming Teams. Excelling at everything he did, including serving for his country in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War, Kepler was inducted into the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame for both sports in 1972. In addition to instruction and his own golf career, he opened 'Kepler's Clubs' in the 1970's to become one of the best club repairmen in Palm Beach County. Don was a long time proud member of the National Golf Club Collectors Society, where his passion for the history of the game, and his connections with many of South Florida‘s most influential golfers allowed him to obtain many of these historical items. Without further ado, it is our distinct honor to offer Don Kepler's collection.
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