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Kel Nagle

Australia · born , North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia · died

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 1960 The Open
  • Runner-up in majors 2 times

Wins

  1. 1960 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · 278 · by 1 stroke from Arnold Palmer

Near misses

  1. 1961 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T5 · 289
  2. 1962 The Open Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · runner-up to Arnold Palmer · 282
  3. 1963 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished 4 · 283
  4. 1965 U.S. Open Bellerive C.C. · runner-up to Gary Player · playoff: 18 holes, 71–74
  5. 1965 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T5 · 289
  6. 1966 The Open Muirfield · finished T4 · 286
  7. 1969 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished 9 · 287 (+3)

Rivals

Beat him

Next in the chain: Arnold Palmer's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1960 Open A torrential Friday-afternoon storm flooded the Old Course - 'water cascading down the steps of The R&A clubhouse' - and the final round was held over to Saturday.
  2. 1960 Open Standing over a crucial putt on the 17th Road Hole, Nagle heard the roar for Palmer's birdie at the 18th, holed it for a 4 and parred the last to win by one.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1960 The Open

    Old Course, St Andrews · 278 · by 1 stroke from Arnold Palmer

    A torrential Friday-afternoon storm flooded the Old Course - 'water cascading down the steps of The R&A clubhouse' - and the final round was held over to Saturday.

    Standing over a crucial putt on the 17th Road Hole, Nagle heard the roar for Palmer's birdie at the 18th, holed it for a 4 and parred the last to win by one.

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1960.

    Career line, 1960–1969

    U.S. Open
    1965 U.S. Open: runner-up to Gary Player
    The Open
    1960 The Open: won1961 The Open: finished T51962 The Open: runner-up to Arnold Palmer1963 The Open: finished 41965 The Open: finished T51966 The Open: finished T41969 The Open: finished 9
    196019651970

    8 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10

    Kel Nagle was born on December 21, 1920, in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Nagle won one major championship: the 1960 Open.

    See Kel Nagle in our rooms: U.S. Open, The Open and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (1)

    1. 1960 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · 278 · by 1 stroke from Arnold Palmer

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1961 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T5 · 289
    2. 1962 The Open Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · runner-up to Arnold Palmer · 282
    3. 1963 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished 4 · 283
    4. 1965 U.S. Open Bellerive C.C. · runner-up to Gary Player · playoff: 18 holes, 71–74
    5. 1965 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T5 · 289
    6. 1966 The Open Muirfield · finished T4 · 286
    7. 1969 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished 9 · 287 (+3)

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 2 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. Sport Australia HOF
    2. pgatour.com
    3. R&A 1960
    4. GC 1960
    5. R&A 1961
    6. Golf Compendium 1963
    7. R&A 1965
    8. R&A 1966
    9. R&A 1969