BOB'S FIRST PRO CHEQUE 

(An excerpt from the 75th Anniversary Celebration booklet written in 1991 by Jim Valli) 

New Zealand's greatest golfer, Bob Charles, won his first pro cheque at Queens Park—and from a field which included the reigning British Open champion! 

The Kiwi who went on to win the British Open in 1963 and has won 15 tournaments on the US seniors tour in the past four years won his first money as a professional at the Park on Sunday, November 20, 1960. That was in a 36-hole invitation tournament, and he took away £75 of the £200 put up for the pros. 

Charles had made his pro debut in the Caltex 1000 in Wellington earlier that month and then came south for the New Zealand Open and the national professional championship at Otatara. 

The left-hander had too many wayward shots in the Open to get into contention and had to settle for a tie for 12th on 300, 19 shots behind the great Australian, Peter Thomson who won the sixth of his nine NZ Opens. His 281 was one stroke better than his countryman, Kel Nagle, who had won the centenary British Open a few months earlier. 

The Queens Park 36-holer was played the day after the Open concluded and on a rest day before start of the amateur and professional championships at Otatara. It had originally been planned to hold a pre-national 72-hole tournament on November 12-13, but this was not possible because of the clash with the Caltex. 

Charles won in style at the Park, shooting 66 and 67 for a seven-under-par total of 133 to win by eight strokes from Nagle, who shot 72 and 69. Queens Park golfer Sid Deslandes had a big moment in finishing third in the quality field, two strokes behind Nagle, with 70 and 73. 

Charles dropped a shot at Elbow in his 66 in the morning but had three birdies and an eagle at Pines and his 67 in the afternoon included four birdies, while he again dropped only one shot, at the 14th. 

His 66, and the similar score of Timaru amateur lan Harvey, who came home in 31 in his morning round, were recognized as course records. 

The record had been 65, held by former Park professional Harold Rogers, but the tees were placed further back for the invitation tournament. Later in the week Charles was beaten, 5 and 4, by Nagle in the final of the now defunct New Zealand professional championship at Otatara. 

That completed a memorable fortnight at Otatara for Nagle, who also won the foursomes championship by 11 shots with Thomson with rounds of 67 and 66. 

Charles and Nagle returned to play an exhibition match at Queens Park on December 15, 1981, but neither could remember playing the course 21 years earlier, when their participation had helped attract galleries estimated at 1500.