Kelvin David George Nagle AM (21 December 1920 – 29 January 2015) was an Australian professional golfer best known for winning

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

in 1960. He won at least one tournament each year from 1949 to 1975.

Biography

Nagle was born in North Sydney. Because of five-and-a-half years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

military service (1939–45), Nagle got a late start on pro golf, as he played no golf between ages 19 and 24, and turned pro at age 25 (1946). He made up for lost time by winning at least one tournament each year from 1949 to 1975. During his early career, he had a long swing and was regarded as the longest hitter on the Australasia tour, as evidenced by the Australian press dubbing him as "the Pymble Crusher". By age 39 (in 1960, when he won The Open Championship), Nagle had shortened his swing and become a straight hitter with what Gary Player described as "the best short game out here". Although he had won over 30 tournaments in Australia, and had won the Canada Cup for Australia in partnership with five-time Open champion Peter Thomson in 1954 and 1959, Nagle was a shock winner of The Open, as he was 39 years old but had never finished in the top-10 at a major championship before. Thomson told Nagle a few weeks prior to the 1960 Open championship that he "had the game" to win and that "you can beat me". He beat the rising star of American golf Arnold Palmer into second place, and it was Palmer who deprived him of his title in 1961. Although he never regained The Open title, Kel Nagle had six top-five finishes at the Open between 1960 and 1966 (ages 39 to 45). His best result in a United States major was second in the 1965 U.S. Open—the year after he won the Canadian Open—when he and Gary Player finished the 72-hole tournament in a tie. Nagle lost to Player the next day in an 18-hole playoff, during which Nagle hit a female spectator in the forehead on the fifth hole and was visibly affected to the point that he hit another spectator on the same hole. Player won the playoff by 3 strokes. As late as 1970, the year he turned 50, Nagle was ranked among the top ten players in the world on the McCormack's World Golf Rankings, the forerunner of the modern world ranking system. Nagle played on the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions) in the U.S. in the 1980s, when he was in his 60s and early 70s. His best finishes were a pair of T-3s: at the 1981 Eureka Federal Savings Classic and the 1982 Peter Jackson Champions. In July 2007, Nagle was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, and was inducted in November 2007. Nagle died in Sydney on 29 January 2015 at the age of 94.

Recognition

*1980 – Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

for the service to the sport of golf. *1986 –

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser t ...

inductee. *2001 – Australian Sports Medal *2005 – Kel Nagle Plate, presented annually to the best performing rookie in the Australian PGA Championship. *2007 – World Golf Hall of Fame inductee.

Professional wins (94)

PGA Tour wins (2)

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (7)

Other Australia and New Zealand wins (69)

*1949 (1) Australian PGA Championship *1950 (1)

WA Open The Western Australian Open, also known as the WA Open, is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. It had been a tour event every year since 2009 with the exception of 2019. History The first Western Australian Amateur Championship wa ...

*1951 (4) North Coast Open, New South Wales Close,

, ACT Open *1952 (3) North Coast Open,

, NSW PGA Championship *1953 (3) NSW PGA Championship, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament,

McWilliam's Wines Tournament The McWilliam's Wines Tournament was a golf tournament held in Australia from 1949 to 1953, played at The Australian Golf Club. Norman Von Nida Norman Guy Von Nida (14 February 1914 – 20 May 2007) was an Australian professional golfer. Vo ...

*1954 (5) Australian PGA Championship, North Coast Open,

Lakes Open The Lakes Open was a golf tournament played at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia between 1934 and 1974. The inaugural event was organised in connection with the visit of a group of American professionals who had earlier play ...

, ACT Open, Riverside and Tasmanian Tyre Services £500 Tournament *1955 (2) North Coast Open, NSW PGA Championship *1956 (1) NSW PGA Championship *1957 (4) New South Wales Close,

New Zealand Open The New Zealand Open is the premier men's golf tournament in New Zealand. It has been a regular fixture on the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament schedule since the 1970s. The 2019 event was the 100th edition of the tournament. Since 2014 it h ...

New Zealand PGA Championship The New Zealand PGA Championship is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. It is currently known for sponsorship reasons as the SEC NZ PGA Championship. History The tournament been played since 1909, with some gap periods. It was ori ...

*1958 (5)

, Australian PGA Championship,

, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament *1959 (5) Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship, Queensland Open, NSW PGA Championship,

Ampol Tournament The Ampol Tournament was the richest golf event of its time in Australia. From 1952 the sponsor, Ampol, offered great prize money to attract the leading American and European players to compete. Total prize money was initially A£1,000, rising t ...

(tie with Gary Player) *1960 (2)

Caltex Tournament The Caltex Tournament was a golf tournament held at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club in Paraparaumu, New Zealand from 1955 to 1972. History Bob Charles and Peter Thomson each won the event five times, while Kel Nagle Kelvin David George Nagle ...

*1962 (3)

Victorian PGA Championship The Victorian PGA Championship is a golf tournament played in Victoria, Australia. It has been part of the PGA Tour of Australasia each season since 2009. It is the oldest of the state professional championships, having been first held in 1922. ...

, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament *1963 (2)

Lake Karrinyup Bowl The Lake Karrinyup Bowl was a golf tournament held in Australia in 1963 and 1964. The events were held at Lake Karrinyup Country Club, Karrinyup, Western Australia Karrinyup is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is l ...

, Wiseman's Tournament *1964 (3)

, Queensland Open,

*1965 (5) Australian PGA Championship, NSW PGA Championship,

Forest Products Tournament The Forest Products Tournament was a golf tournament held in New Zealand from 1964 to 1966. The event was hosted by Tokoroa Golf Club in Tokoroa. The 1966 event resulted in a tie between Bob Charles (golfer), Bob Charles and Tony Jacklin. The eve ...

BP Tournament The BP Tournament was a golf tournament held in New Zealand from 1964 to 1968. Four of the five events were held at Titirangi Golf Club, Auckland. Kel Nagle Kelvin David George Nagle Order of Australia, AM (21 December 1920 – 29 January 2015 ...

(tie with Peter Thomson) *1966 (4)

Wills Masters The Wills Masters was a golf tournament held in Australia and played annually from 1963 to 1975. The Wills Classic had been held in Australia from 1960 and 1962. Total prize money from 1963 to 1965 was A£4,000. In 1966 and 1967 it was A$8,000 ...

West End Tournament The West End Tournament was a golf tournament held in Australia from 1962 to 1974. The events were held at Victor Harbor Golf Club, Victor Harbor, South Australia. Kel Nagle won the event five times between 1966 and 1974. The event was sponsored by ...

(tie with Murray Crafter),

(tie with Peter Thomson),

*1967 (3)

Victorian Open The Vic Open is an annual golf tournament held in Australia. It was founded in 1957 and is the Victoria state open championship for men. It is run by Golf Victoria and is a Golf Australia national ranking event. The event is held concurrently ...

*1968 (5) New South Wales Open,

, Australian PGA Championship,

*1969 (4)

, Garden City Classic,

*1970 (3)

, NBN-3 Tournament,

Otago Charity Classic The Otago Charity Classic was a golf tournament held in New Zealand from 1970 to 1978. The event was hosted by St Clair Golf Club in Dunedin. History The event was part of the New Zealand golf circuit. John Lister won the event in successive ...

*1971 (1) NSW PGA Championship *1972 (1)

European wins (11)

1960 Open Championship The 1960 Open Championship was the 89th Open Championship, played 6–9 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. In the centenary year of the Open Championship, Kel Nagle prevailed over Arnold Palmer by a single stroke; this year marke ...

*1961 French Open, Swiss Open,

Irish Hospitals Tournament The Irish Hospitals Tournament was a professional golf tournament played from 1958 to 1962. Total prize money was £5000 from 1958 to 1960 and £5,555 in 1961 and 1962. It was sponsored by the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake. In 1963 it was succeede ...

, Dunlop Tournament *1962

Bowmaker Tournament The Bowmaker Tournament was an invitation pro-am golf tournament played from 1957 to 1970. Except in the first and final years the tournament was held at Sunningdale Golf Club. The main event was a 36-hole stroke play event for the professionals ...

, Carling-Lancastrian Tournament *1963

Esso Golden Tournament The Esso Golden Tournament was a golf tournament on the British PGA circuit from 1961 to 1967. It was played in a round-robin format at the Moor Park Golf Club in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England. The event was sponsored by Esso, and was ...

*1965

*1967

(tie with Peter Thomson) *1971

Volvo Open The Volvo Open was an invitational golf tournament played in Sweden in 1970 and 1971. It was the first major international golf tournament played in Sweden. The 1970 event was played on two courses; the first 36 holes at the par 71 course at D ...

Asian wins (1)

*1961 Hong Kong Open

Senior wins (5)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1971 Pringle of Scotland Seniors Championship, World Senior Championship *1973 Pringle of Scotland Seniors Championship *1975 PGA Seniors Championship, World Senior Championship

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1974 Open Championship)
"T" = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (twice) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1965 U.S. Open – 1965 Open Championship)

Team appearances

* Canada Cup (representing Australia):

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

(winners),

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangs ...

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

, 1959 (winners),

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

, 1962,

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...

, 1966 *

Lakes International Cup The Lakes International Cup was a men's team golf competition between teams of professional golfers from Australia and the United States. It was played four times between 1934 and 1954. The United States won the first three matches with Australia ...

(representing Australia): 1952, 1954 (winners) *

Vicars Shield The Vicars Shield was a professional team golf competition between the states of Australia. It was first played in 1930 and continued as an interstate event until 1956. It was the professional equivalent of the amateur Australian Men's Interstate ...

(representing New South Wales): 1948 (winners), 1949 (winners), 1950 (winners), 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 (winners), 1955 (winners)

References

External links

* * * *
Kel Nagle interviewed by Neil Bennetts, National Library of Australia, 1990
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagle, Kel Australian male golfers PGA Tour of Australasia golfers European Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Winners of men's major golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Members of the Order of Australia Golfers from Sydney 1920 births 2015 deaths