Meet the major winners who have done the Hong Kong Open double
Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle and Orville Moody are among the big names to have won at Fanling
The four majors – the Open Championship, the Masters, the US Open, and the US PGA Championship – are acknowledged as the pinnacles of achievement in the game of golf. Win there and your name is etched into the pantheon of all-time greats.
Over the years, the UBS Hong Kong Open has had the privilege of hosting a procession of major winners at Fanling, and 10 of them have managed to carve themselves a slice of history out this way, too.
Here’s a look at three major champions, of the 10 we will eventually profile, who have also added a Hong Kong Open (or sometimes more) to their collection.
Peter Thomson |
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HK Open winner in: 1960, 1965, 1967 Majors won: Open Championship in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965 The story: One of the game’s dominant players through the 1950s and ’60s, the Australian was also one of the driving forces behind the staging of the very first Hong Kong Open back in 1959. The now 86-year-old Thomson always loved visiting Hong Kong, and he crowned his achievements here in a way that proved typical for a no-nonsense man (as he was player) who would by the end of his career own five Open Championships also among his record of 88 pro titles. In the event’s 1967 edition, a 38-year-old Thomson drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to tie Brian Huggett at seven-under 273. An up-and-down par on the second sudden death hole was then enough to claim the crown, and Thomson’s third victory here after he had beaten New Zealand's Ross Newdick by a stroke in 1965, and had left compatriot Kel Nagle (and the field) trailing in his wake back in 1960, a 14-under 272 enough for a 10-stroke victory over his compatriot. In his words: “I was there on the beach (1959) and a radio report came on about it. And I thought, ‘Hey, they’re playing the Hong Kong Open, why am I not there?’ I made sure I was there the next year!" |
Kel Nagle |
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Nationality: Australian HK Open winner in: 1961 Majors won: Open Championship in 1960 The story: Another great friend to the Hong Kong Open as the event was still finding its feet in the early days. Nagle – who passed away this past January aged 94 – was famed as much for being a teetotaller (a rarity considering the reputation of his homeland) as he was for a career that spanned more than three decades. There was that Open Championship in 1960 – at age 39 and by one stroke over Arnold Palmer – but in 1961 he returned to Fanling after having had his colours lowered (by 10 strokes) by close mate and compatriot Peter Thomson the year before. Second time around, Nagle produced some magic of his own, riding his Acushnet bull’s eye putter to a six-stroke victory over Thomson that was highlighted by a stunning 62 on the Saturday. In his words: “I would like to apologise to Peter Thomson for getting a little hot. But he got a bit mean last year, and this time, it was my turn. It was a very good tournament.” |
Orville Moody |
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Nationality: American HK Open winner in: 1971 Majors won: US Open in 1969 The story: Watch the footage now and you’ll wonder how he ever did it. Orville Moody was widely known as the worst putter the pro game has ever seen (“This man rolls it worse than anyone alive,” his friend Lee Trevino once quipped). He won the US Open in 1969 – and never again won on the PGA Tour. The charismatic man from Chickasha, Oklahoma, was known as Sarge – after a 14-year stint in the army – and rocked up here in 1971 like a character out of a Hollywood script. He spent the week signing autographs on 10 dollar notes. On the final day, he turned up chewing gum, dressed in an immaculate white shirt, with striped trousers. He asked a spectator beside the 18th green what score he needed to win. And then he drained an eight-foot putt for par and a two-under 68 to beat Japan’s Hauro Yasuda by two strokes. The final flourish saw Moody take off in a helicopter that had landed green-side, so he could make his flight home to the States. In his words: “I wanted to know where I stood,” said Moody, after asking for that fan’s advice on the 18th. “I was by no means worried.” |
