'Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner Officially Files to Divorce Theresa Nist

"The Golden Bachelor" star Gerry Turner is officially on the path to divorce from Theresa Nist -- he wasted no time filing, doing so mere hours after announcing their split.

TMZ has obtained the divorce papers ... Gerry filed them Friday morning in his hometown of Petersburg, Indiana, and cites an "irretrievable breakdown" of the marriage as the reason for them breaking up.

Gerry says they have a prenup ... so it should be a fairly quick divorce -- plus, they've only been married since the show ended back in January.

As we reported, the newlyweds announced they were divorcing Friday on "Good Morning America" ... telling Juju Chang it was in the best interest of their overall happiness to live apart.

FWIW, they said they really tried to make it work .. even house hunting together near Theresa in New Jersey and in South Carolina, which they saw as a neutral spot where they might be able to put down roots.

It's a pretty shocking split, to say the least, especially since they got married in a big, lavish televised wedding special.