GOLF Nagle Wins Dunlop; Charles Unplaced

Press, Volume C, Issue 29555, 3 July 1961, Page 18

GOLF Nagle Wins Dunlop; Charles Unplaced

(N .Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) HOLLINWELL (Nottinghamshire), July 2. Australia's Kel Nagle emerged victorious in a gruelling final-round struggle with Frank Phillips for the £6OOO Dunlop stroke-play golf tournament honours yesterday.

In heat-wave conditions, the reigning British open champion, returned 69 and 68 for the last two rounds for a final aggregate of 277. Phillips was two strokes behind after having a 72 and a 70 yesterday. Australia’s Peter Thomson (72-72) finished equal third with Britain's G. W. Low and B. J. Hunt on 282. Bob Charles, of New Zealand. was one stroke behind on 283 (66, 73) with S. Miguel (Spain). Charles’s 66 for the third round was the best round of the tournament and brought him up with Thomson to be one behind the joint leaders, Nagle and Phillips, at that time. He slumped in the final round, however, with bad drives at the 12th, 14th and 18th. The final round developed into a struggle between

Nagle and Phillips. With nine holes to play, Nagle, out in 33, led Phillips by three strokes; but Phillips fought back to level with five holes to go. He could not bold Nagie. however, and cracked in the vital closing stages, taking five at both the 16tb and the 18th. Nagle thus clinched his grip on the £lOOO first prize and greatly boosted bis prospects of retaining the open, which he defends at Royal Birkdale (Lancashire) from July 10. In the third round Charles put himself back in the picture with a 66 to be only one stroke behind the leaders after starting seven behind. He putted brilliantly, sinking an eight-footer at the first and one of 30 feet on the seventh, both for birdie threes, to reach the turn in 32. His only bad mistake was at the tenth, where his pitch went over the green to cost him his only five.