Why playing this year’s AT&T Byron Nelson means so much to Fort Worth’s J.J. Henry
J.J. Henry couldn’t have asked for a better golf career. He’s won three PGA Tour events. He’s played in every major tournament. He’s represented the United States in the Ryder Cup. He’s still going with 558 career PGA Tour starts and counting.
At age 46, though, Henry knows his opportunities are becoming more and more limited. That’s why he’s grateful for a sponsor’s exemption and the chance to play in at least one more AT&T Byron Nelson this week at TPC Craig Ranch.
It’ll be an emotional week on a number of levels for Henry. It’ll be the first tournament he’s played since his mom Nancy passed away six weeks ago. And he’s always admired the tournament’s namesake Byron Nelson.
“This is my first tournament since my mom passed away, so I feel like I’ve got a 15th club in my bag if you will,” Henry said. “And Byron Nelson was always one of those guys in your dream foursome. He was somebody that stood for integrity and sportsmanship, how he lived his life on and off the course. To have a chance to meet Mr. Nelson a number of times was special.
“It’ll be a special week.”
Token carries special connection to Nelson
One of Henry’s most cherished items from his playing days is a token made by Nelson for each member of the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team. U.S. captain Tom Lehman and Nelson were close friends and Nelson decided to make a memento for the players accompanied by a letter on what it meant to represent your country.
“He wrote a really nice letter and these tokens were carried by all 12 members of the Ryder Cup during the 2006 matches,” Henry said. “How the story goes, those tokens were the last things Byron Nelson ever made in his wood shop. That’s always held a special place with me. The story, the letter that Byron wrote to me and that token sit in a frame in my office at my home.”
Henry went on to tell a story about the 2012 tournament in which he was in the final pairing on Sunday. Henry took Nelson’s token out of the shadow box and carried it with him during the final round at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas.
During that round, Henry took the lead by making a hole-in-one on the par-3 5th. Henry hit a pitching wedge and the ball spun back into the cup for an ace.
“I remember I started rubbing the token and thought, ‘Today’s my day! Today’s my day!’” Henry said, chuckling. “Jim Nantz would’ve ran with it if I closed it out.”
Unfortunately for Henry, it wasn’t meant to be. He had a one-shot lead with two holes to play, but double-bogeyed No. 17 to take himself out of the mix. Jason Dufner won the tournament with a score of 11 under while Henry finished tied for third at 9 under.
Henry went on to win later that season at the Reno-Tahoe Open.
At this stage in his career, Henry is simply thrilled to get another chance to win the Nelson. He feels he has the game to compete against the world’s best, although he joked he could be paired with players who combined wouldn’t match his age.
“A 22-year-old and a 23-year-old,” Henry said, laughing. “But the golf ball doesn’t know how old you are, so we’ll keep grinding. I’m thankful for the opportunity to play this week.
“I still feel I can play great golf. Realistically, I haven’t played a whole lot with some of my personal things with my family the last eight weeks, but maybe that’s a blessing in disguise.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
