By Mark Lamport-Stokes

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Golfing great Byron Nelson, who won an unprecedented 11 successive PGA Tour events during 1945, died on Tuesday at the age of 94.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said he had died of natural causes at his ranch in Roanoke, Texas.

A five-times major winner who is widely considered the straightest hitter of the ball in history, American Nelson was also known for his elegant swing and chivalrous attitude, earning him the nickname 'Lord Byron'.

Although he never won the British Open, he claimed the Masters in 1937 and 1942, the PGA Championship in 1940 and 1945 and captured his one U.S. Open crown in Philadelphia in 1939.

"The golf world suffered a devastating loss with the passing of a true gentleman, Byron Nelson," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement.

"He was a legend who transcended generations and was loved and respected by everyone who knew him. Our players, young and old, looked to Byron as the consummate role model of our sport.

"His legacy spans across his historic performances, the gentle and dignified way he carried himself and his tremendous contributions to golf and society."

Billy Payne, chairman of Augusta National and the Masters tournament where Nelson acted as an honorary starter from 1981 to 2001, said: "Byron has meant so much to so many people, and has been an integral and important part of this tournament since he first played here in 1935.

"Byron will be sorely missed at this year's champions dinner and will be remembered in perpetuity as players cross the bridge at No. 13 that bears his name."

EXTRAORDINARY FORM

Of all his golfing achievements, Nelson is best known for the extraordinary form he displayed in 1945.

Between March 11 and August 4, the Texan won 11 consecutive tournaments, including the U.S. PGA Championship at Morraine, to set a PGA Tour record which has never been beaten.

Nelson ended that year with 18 titles from 30 starts, seven runners-up spots and an astonishing stroke average of 68.33 after 120 rounds.

"I look at his scoring average and that was impressive," said six-times major winner Lee Trevino.

"If you'd give him today's equipment and golf balls then that average might be in the 65 range. It's amazing what he did."

Nelson's unerring accuracy will never be forgotten and inspired the United States Golf Association to name its repetitive ball-testing machine 'Iron Byron'.

In 1946 at the age of 34, he decided to quit the game and buy a ranch just north of Fort Worth, despite having enjoyed three golden years in a row which earned him 32 wins on the U.S. Tour alone.

The strain of competitive golf was getting too much for him, Nelson said at the time, and he was concerned about his health.

However, he continued to play in a few tournaments each year, winning the Bing Crosby Pro-Am in 1952 and the French Open in 1955.

OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

His Byron Nelson Championship is the only event on the PGA Tour named after a player and earlier this year he was recommended by the U.S. House for a Congressional Gold Medal for his "outstanding accomplishments as a golfer and a humanitarian."

Jack Nicklaus, arguably the greatest player of all, paid a special tribute to Nelson on the eve of his 90th birthday in 2002.

"I still look back to when I was 14 years old and that day I watched you conduct a clinic at Los Angeles Country Club," 18-times major champion Nicklaus said.

"I have never seen a man hit a ball straighter, before then or since. It has been forever etched into my mind.

"In my opinion, your life has never been any different than you were that day, straight down the middle."

Arnold Palmer, a winner of seven majors and possibly the most popular player of all, was also full of praise for Nelson.

"All of us in golf have admired and respected you greatly for so many years, not just for what you have accomplished in the game, which is tremendous, but as much for the warm and wonderful gentleman that you are," he said.