Kel Nagle
1 Major Championship • 90th All-Time
1
Wins
0
2nd Place
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First Win Age
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Last Win Age
Major Championship Wins
Career Highlights
- 1960 Open Championship — Captured the Claret Jug at age 39, defeating rising star Arnold Palmer
- Incredible Consistency — Won at least one tournament every single year from 1949 to 1975 (27 consecutive years)
- 1965 U.S. Open — Runner-up in playoff to Gary Player at Bellerive Country Club
- Open Championship Contender — Six top-five finishes at The Open between 1960-1966 (ages 39-45)
- Canada Cup Champion — Won team title for Australia with Peter Thomson in 1954 and 1959
- 95 Professional Wins — Accumulated victories across multiple tours, including 1964 Canadian Open
Did You Know?
- War Years Lost: Nagle served 5½ years in WWII military service (1939-45), playing no golf between ages 19 and 24. He turned professional at age 25 in 1946 with a late start — then won at least one tournament every year for the next 27 years straight
- "The Pymble Crusher": Early in his career, Nagle was known as the longest hitter on the Australasian tour. By age 39, he'd shortened his swing to become a straight hitter with what Gary Player called "the best short game out here"
- Playoff Heartbreak: During the 1965 U.S. Open playoff, Nagle accidentally hit a female spectator in the forehead on the 5th hole. Visibly shaken, he hit another spectator on the same hole minutes later, eventually losing the playoff to Player by 3 strokes