Nagle’s Steadiness Too Good At Paraparaumu

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30611, 30 November 1964, Page 3

Nagle’s Steadiness Too Good At Paraparaumu

(Neto Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 29. K. D. G. Nagle, the 43-year-old Australian golfer, did it again at Paraparaumu on Saturday when he won the sponsored £2OOO tournament with a four-round total of 285, one stroke ahead of his countryman, J. J. Sullivan.

Nagle has brought automation to New Zealand golf. While other top professionals go from one extreme to another, he is the essence of steadiness. This has now brought him two firsts and a second in the three tournaments played in this sponsored circuit. The end of the Paraparaumu tournament was in contrast to the end of the open at Shirley last week-end when Nagle spreadeagled the field.

The spectators surrounding the 18th green were involved in some tense moments. Nagle had dropped a stroke on the 17th and everything depended on the 18th. Sullivan was short with his second and required the scratch five for the hole. Nagle then required a five to win, and after pulling his tee shot into rough, he was 50 yards short with his second. A chip to the left of the hole left him a 20-foo’er for a birdie four or two safe putts for the scratch score and the title anyway. He putted to within inches and the finst place was his, but his round of 74, one over the card, is not one he will kindly remember. Often he over-clubbed his approach irons. This was not the player who has been in such fine form since arriving in the country two weeks ago. It was Nagle’s third win in this sponsored tournament and his rounds of 69, 72, 70, 74 were seven under the fourround scratch total of 292. B. Devlin won the same tournament last year with a record 274. Perhaps it was the course ■which finally took its toll. After the four rounds it can be safely said the Paraparaumu was never tamed, and it never looked like being tamed. The blustery wind which swept the undulating fairways. the hard nature of the

rough and the firm greens posed problems which would have baffled the greatest players in the world. Sullivan played some fine golf in his last two rounds. In his morning round he wedged in from 100 feet out on the sixth for an eagle and at one stage he had overhauled Nagle and gone into the lead. Sullivan said afterwards that he knew the position as he teed off on the last hole, “But that’s the way it goes.” He was assisted by his caddie, R. Jeffrey, a Paraparaumu greenkeeper, whose advice Sullivan absorbed keenly. The only player to break 70 in the final round was P. W. Thomson, who made a gallant effort to catch the leaders, only to fail by two strokes and fill third place. Thomson was out in 35, home in 34—four birdies, including a sensational 50-foot putt on the fifteenth, and 14 scratch holes. There was much of the magic in his golf that has delighted New Zealanders before. Six Behind A. A. Murray was up with the leaders at the end of the third round but he slumped to 78 and ended six strokes behind Nagle. Murray had great difficulty finding the greens and many of his recovery shots were magnificent, including one 20-foot uphill bunker blast on the fifth to within feet of the pin. “I couldn’t have played worse for 36 holes,” Murray said afterwards. E. A. Ball, with a threeover 76 to wind up with, and C. Legrange were one stroke behind Murray and again it was missed putts and off-line approaches that cost them the chances to be higher up the prize list

A final round of 72, including 36 putts, for C. A. Johnston left him satisfied, if a litle disappointed with his inability to sink those vital birdie putts. Johnston was out in 35, one under, and home in 37, scratch figures. The runner-up in the New Zealand Open, F. Phillips, had nightmares on the greens and time and again his putts would slip round the hole, but not in. Phillips, who finished with a 77 for a total of 298, said that he “missed some short putts, and by short I mean short—say 12 inches to two feet.” Buckler Steady The first New Zealand professional in the field was the Canada Cup representative, F. X. Buckler, on 299. Buckler was steady, but never brilliant. The United States golfer, R. O. Howell, who was a joint leader at the end of the first round, had a shocking 82 in the fourth round to finish eighteenth professional. Howell, whose hand was sufficiently troublesome to have it X-rayed for a broken bone on Friday evening, could not do a thing right and could only shake his head afterwards and say “horrible, terrible, unbelievable.” The young Auckland professional, R. R. Newdick, after two disastrous rounds on the first days, played much better to card 77 and 72 on Saturday. But as he said himself it was “like closing the stable door after the horse had bolted.” He finished well out of the money. The top amateur was the former Taranaki player, now of Wanganui, J. P. Means. He won the amateur section by three strokes from B. M. Silk and W. G. Horne. Means, whose four-round total was 300, headed home some big-name professionals including R. Tuohy, G. Wolstenholme, D. Hutchinson and L. Thomas. Silk had the best outward nine of the day—a wonderful three-under par 33, comprised of seven 4’s, one 3 and one 2. But he could not keep it up and came home in 38, one over, for a total of 71. It was the second best final round total of the day—Thomson had a 69. The prize money won was:— £4OO, K. D. G. Nagle; £3OO, J. J. Sullivan; £2OO, P. W. Thomson; £l5O. A. A. Murray; £ll2 10s each, E. A. Ball, C. Legrange; £95, C. A. Johnston; £B2, 10s each, E. W. Dunk, F. Phillips; £75, F. X. Buckler; £65, S. Peach; £55 each, R. J. Tuohy, D. J. Cullen: G. Wolstenholme; £42 10s each, D. Hutchinson, L. Thomas; £35, M. Wolveridge; £3O, R. O. Howell. The scores were:— 285 K. D. G. Nagle (N.S.W.). 69, 72, 70, 74. 286 J. J. Sullivan (South Australia), 69, 73, 71, 73. 287 P. W. Thomson (Victoria), 69, 76, 73, 69. 291 A. A. Murray (N.S.W.), 72, 69, 72. 78. 292 E. A. Ball (N.S.W.), 72, 71, 73. 76; G. Legrange (South Africa), 73 , 72 , 74, 73. 294—C. A. Johnston (N.S.W.), 72 . 75. 75, 72. 298 F. Phillips (N.S.W.), 71, 77, 73, 77: E. W. Dunk (N.S.W.), 73 76 74 75 299 F. X. Buckler (Lochlel), 75 . 76, 76, 72. 300— S. Peach (West Australia), 81, 74, 72, 73; J. P. Means (amateur, Wanganui), 75, 78, 75, 72. 302—D. Hutchinson (South Africa), 74, 81, 75, 72; L. Thomas

(West Australia), 75, 81, 74, 72. 303 W. G. Horne (amateur, Paraparaumu), 77, 74, 76, 76; B. M. Silk (Wanganui), 75, 78, 79, 71. 304 — M. Wolveridge (Britain), 75, 75, 78, 76; J. D. Durry (Paraparaumu), 75, 81, 75, 73. 306 R. O. Howell (U.S.A.), 69. 81, 74, 82. 307 W. Gale (N.S.W.), 74, 79, 79, 75; T. A. Brady (Miramar), 78, 78, 77, 74; J. Kelly (N.S.W.), 76, 79, 76, 76. 309 D. Fearns (N.S.W.), 77, 76. 81, 75; K. E. Carter (amateur, Miramar), 76, 75, 79, 79. 310 — B. Franklin (South ' Africa), 78, 78, 79, 75. 311 — S. A. McDonald (Manor Park). 80, 80, 77, 74; R. R. Newdick (unattached, Auckland), ’ 80, 82, 77, 72; N. C. Aldridge (Miramar), 76, 78, 80, 77. I 312—8. J. Coxon (Manawatu), 76, 80, 76, 80. 313—R. H. M. Knight (amateur, Otaki), 84, 73, 76, 80. 315 R. J. Swinbourne (N.S.W.), 81 77 82 75 316- Page (amateur, Otaki), 76, 73, 85, 82. ; 317—G. Abbot (N.S.W.), 81, 78. 81, 77. ’ 322—H. W. Larmer (amateur, Hastings), 78, 80, 84, 80. i 323—G. Watson (N.S.W.), 76, 82, | 81, 84. 324—T. A. Harrison (Blen- - helm), 82, 80, 80, 82. I 325—N. Nankivell (amateur, . Manor Park), 83, 76, 77, 89. 326—J. E. Meikle (amateur, Hutt), 80, 79, 87, 80. 331—R. Kimberley (N.S.W.), 81, 82, 80, 88. 334 —I. Mann (amateur, Titirangi), 83, 76, 84, 91.