SEVENTH N.Z. OPEN GOLF WIN FOR K. D. G. NAGLE

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32159, 1 December 1969, Page 26

SEVENTH N.Z. OPEN GOLF WIN FOR K. D. G. NAGLE

(New Zealand Press Asso<rtatiotr> WANGANUI. K. D. G. Nagle for a seventh time —that was the story at Belmont on Saturday when the Australian played superb golf to hold off a strong challenge from the New Zealander, J. M. Lister, to win the 1969 BP-sponsored New Zealand open.

The 49-year-old Nagle continued the outstanding record of Australian golfers in the event. Australians have now won the open 18 times. Nagle’s 72-hole total of 273 was exactly the same as that which won another Australian, B. W. Devlin, the championship at Belmont in 1963. Nagle, however, finished seven under par. Six years ago the Belmont par was 71 and Devlin was 11 under par. Although the crowd would have loved Lister to have won the title Nagle was a popular winner. Nagle’s victory enabled him to join the select band of E. S. Douglas, A. J. Shaw and P. W. Thomson as winner of three successive Open titles. But Nagle did not have things all his own way. After going into the final round as co-leader with T. Murakami

(Japan) Nagle met strong opposition from Lister. Murakami wilted under the pressure but Lister was there to keep the 3000 spectators, who watched the final two rounds in glorious sunshine, excited. TURNING POINT Going to the fourteenth hole Lister held a one-stroke advantage, but he put his second shot into a bunker and finished with a par five after missing a 15ft putt From one down Nagle went to one up and for the remaining four holes he was quite content to play par golf. Lister, still down by a stroke, strayed bis second shot into a bunker at the eighteenth. But at this stage the fate of the tournament had been well and truly sealed. R. J. Charles was again plagued by his Belmont “hoodoo" and finished well down the list—seventh equal, and seven strokes behind Nagle.

At the start of the day Charles trailed Nagle by a single stroke. Nagle's rounds were 69, 67, 69 and 68—seven under par. Lister scored 68, 70, 69, 68 to finish two strokes behind Nagle. The Australian, R. Vines, took third place with four 69s—another display of consistent golf. UNDER PAR

The other players under par were Murakami, the Australian, F. Phillips, and Maurice Bembridge (England), who all scored 277 three under par. Charles was never happy on Saturday. On the opening hole, he caught a fairway bunker, could gain little ground With his blast-out, and then three-putted the green for a disastrous six. The world’s greatest left, hander had another one-over during the morning, and then played up-and-down golf in the final round, including an astonishing five one-overs in his 72.

' One of the most disappoint- ! ing Australian professionals i was E. Ball, who finished run-ner-up to Nagle two years ago. At Belmont, however, Ball finished out of the money on 296—23 strokes behind Nagle. S. Jones (Hastings), six times national amateur chant-

pion went into the final round with a two-stroke advantage in the Bledisloe Cup, for the leading amateur. Jones, however, could manage only a 75 in the final round, and J. Lacy (Paraparaumu) won the trophy by two strokes from Jones and E. McDougall (Tokoroa). Lacy, who included an eagle two in his final round, finished on 286—six over par. The Australian, G. Marsh, won the Earl Jellfcoe Cup for the lowest single round of the open, with a sensational six-under-par 64 in the third round.

The round lifted Marsh from near the tail of the field to twelfth equal. Marsh, how evta did not play startling golf in his other three rounds, which produced 72, 73, and 74.