A very emotional five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson paid enormous tribute to his long-time good friend saying greeting the late Kel Nagle after he won The 1960 Open at St. Andrews was the happiest moment of his golfing life.
Thomson was one of many golfing luminaries at the funeral of Nagle of who died last week aged 94.
The list of past and present players at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium in Sydney included Thomson, 1990 PGA Championship winner Wayne Grady, 1975 Open runner-up Jack Newton, Rodger Davis, Ian Stanley, Brian Jones and Frank Phillips, plus Greg Norman’s first coach, Charlie Earp.
Among those sending messages were 2013 US Masters champion Adam Scott, 1963 British Open winner Sir Bob Charles and leading golf officials from the United States, Britain and New Zealand.
They paid tribute to a life and career that gleaned 81 professional titles, 61 in Australasia, and in a career when Nagle captured at least one tournament win a year for 26 successive years from 1949 to 1975.
Kel Nagle’s coffin being placed into car. (Photo – www.aap.com.au)
Thomson recounted his memories of Nagle, but at times he was overcome by emotion and his wife Mary had to step in and help.
Thomson, now 85, twice combined with Nagle to win the Canada Cup, now known as the World Cup.
“We set a fire that became a raging bushfire over the years because we won all sorts of things and got a bit cheeky with ourselves winning things from Americans,” Thomson said.
He said Nagle, who turned professional in 1946 after completing active service in the Second World War, followed the same routine in the 1960 Open at St Andrews, as he did when he won there five years earlier.
“When I greeted him on the 18th green, it was the happiest moment of my golfing life,” Thomson said.
In fact, Thomson had loaned his jacket to Nagle to wear at the presentation ceremony given Nagle did not posses one, and when Nagle handed back the jacket Nagle’s prize cheque was still in a pocket.
Thomson commented: “Obviously, he didn’t need the money”.
Scott said during his tenure as US Masters champion he spoke to Nagle and sensed his passion and recalled how as a ten-year-old he watched Thomson and Nagle play.
“It was an experience I will never forget, I was fortunate to be able to watch one of Australia’s golfing pioneers play,” Scott said in his message.
“An experience like this has stayed with me and helped me appreciate all the gentlemen like Kel put in the game, so that the foundations would be rich for future generations, like me.”
Mourners heard Nagle loved fishing, horses, a punt and the Eastern Suburbs (now Sydney) Roosters rugby league team.
Most tributes referenced his reputation for being the great gentleman of golf.
“Kel was the epitome of a gentleman,” Sir Bob Charles said in his message.
* Story AAP.
