Kelvin David George Nagle AM (21 December 1920 – 29 January 2015) was an Australian

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

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 th ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...

described as "the best short game out here". Although he had won over 30 tournaments in Australia, and had won the

Canada Cup The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world ...

for Australia in partnership with five-time Open champion

Peter Thomson Peter Thomson may refer to: * Peter Thomson (golfer) (1929–2018), Australian golfer * Peter Thomson (diplomat) (born 1948), Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations * Peter Thomson (footballer) (born 1977), English footballer * Peter ...

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 Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...

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 McCormack rankings were unofficial world golf rankings published in Mark McCormack's ''World of Professional Golf Annual'' from 1968 to 1985, and were a forerunner of the current Official World Golf Ranking. Unlike their replacement they were ...

, 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 The AT&T Canada Senior Open Championship was a professional golf tournament in Canada on the Senior PGA Tour, now the PGA Tour Champions. Held from 1981 to 1985 and 1996 to 2002, it was played at a different course each year. The purse for the 200 ...

. In July 2007, Nagle was elected to the

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...

, 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 Gove ...

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 th ...

inductee. *2001 –

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

*2005 – Kel Nagle Plate, presented annually to the best performing rookie in the Australian PGA Championship. *2007 –

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 The Australian PGA Championship is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. It is the home tournament of the Australian PGA. Since 2000 it has been held in the South East Queensland region. The tournament was part of the OneAsia Tour fro ...

*1950 (1) WA Open *1951 (4)

North Coast Open The North Coast Open was a professional golf tournament in Australia from 1951 to 1975. It was always held at Coffs Harbour Golf Club in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. It was a PGA Tour of Australia event from 1973 to 1975. The name "North Coas ...

, New South Wales Close, WA Open, ACT Open *1952 (3)

, WA Open,

NSW PGA Championship The New South Wales PGA Championship was a professional golf tournament played in New South Wales, Australia between 1923 and 2015. History The inaugural event was held in 1923 and was won by Fred Popplewell with a score of 311. Dan Soutar ha ...

*1953 (3)

Adelaide Advertiser Tournament The Adelaide Advertiser Tournament was a golf event played in Adelaide, Australia between 1948 and 1967. Up to 1960 the event was played in March or April but was later played in September or October. The venue generally alternated between Royal ...

, McWilliam's Wines Tournament *1954 (5)

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 pla ...

, ACT Open, Riverside and Tasmanian Tyre Services £500 Tournament *1955 (2)

*1956 (1)

*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 has ...

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 orig ...

*1958 (5)

*1959 (5)

Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...

Queensland Open The Queensland Open originally called the Queensland Championships and also known as the Queensland Lawn Tennis Championships and the Queensland State Championships was a tennis tournament played in Brisbane, Australia, from 1888 to 1994. Th ...

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 ...

(tie with

) *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 (golfer), Bob Charles and Peter Thomson (golfer), Peter Thomson each won the event five times, wh ...

*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. ...

*1963 (2) Lake Karrinyup Bowl, Wiseman's Tournament *1964 (3)

*1965 (5)

, Forest Products Tournament, BP Tournament (tie with

) *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 b ...

(tie with Murray Crafter),

(tie with

), BP Tournament *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 The Sydney International (formerly known as the Championship of New South Wales and New South Wales Open, with various title sponsors), formerly sponsored as the Apia International Sydney from 2012 to 2017, is a professional tennis tournament i ...

, BP Tournament *1969 (4)

Garden City Classic The Garden City Classic was a golf tournament held in New Zealand from 1969 to 1975. The event was hosted by Russley Golf Club in Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the ...

*1970 (3)

, NBN-3 Tournament, Otago Charity Classic *1971 (1)

*1972 (1)

European wins (11)

* 1960 Open Championship *1961

French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

Swiss Open The Omega European Masters is the Swiss stop on professional men's golf's European Tour, and in 2009 it became the first event in Europe to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. Founded as the Swiss Open in 1923, the tournament was prefixed with Eu ...

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 The Irish Hospitals' ...

, 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 professional ...

, 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

) *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 ...

Asian wins (1)

*1961 Hong Kong Open

Senior wins (5)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1971 Pringle of Scotland Seniors Championship,

World Senior Championship The World Senior Championship was a golf match held between the winners of the American PGA Seniors' Championship (now Senior PGA Championship) and the British PGA Seniors Championship. It was held from 1954 to 1978. It was a 36-hole match-play e ...

*1973 Pringle of Scotland Seniors Championship *1975

PGA Seniors Championship The PGA Seniors Championship is a European Senior Tour golf tournament for men aged fifty and above. It was founded in 1957 and became part of the European Senior Tour on its founding in 1992. It was not held in 2016 or 2017 but returned in 2018 ...

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

(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 Yijian ...

, 1958,

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

(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 ...

, 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 Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

, 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 w ...

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

Biography

Recognition

Professional wins (94)

PGA Tour wins (2)

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (7)

Other Australia and New Zealand wins (69)

European wins (11)

Asian wins (1)

Senior wins (5)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Summary

Team appearances

See also

References

External links