Norman Von Nida
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Norman Von Nida (born 14 February 1914) is a Australian golfer.
He was born in Strathfield and grew up in Brisbane. He turned professional in 1933, after attracting attention by winning the Queensland Amateur aged just 18. He would go on to become one of Australia's finest professional golfers, and the first Australian to win regularly on the British tour, although World War Two certainly deprived him of competition during what would have been his peak years. In 1946 he travelled to Britain for the first time and finished second on the Order of Merit; in 1947, he returned and won seven tournaments and topped the Order of Merit. He was renowned for his short temper - at a tournament in 1948 he became involved in an argument with US Ryder Cup player Henry Ransom that resulted in the local sheriff having to pull them apart, and he was also known to hurl his putter into the undergrowth after missing putts, on occasions breaking or even losing them mid-round.
The PGA Tour of Australasia's developmental tour is named the Von Nida Tour after him.
[edit] Tournament wins
- 1935 Queensland Open
- 1936 Queensland Open
- 1937 Queensland Open
- 1938 Philippine Open
- 1939 Philippine Open, New South Wales Open
- 1940 Queensland Open
- 1946 Australian PGA Championship, New South Wales Open, News Chronicle Tournament (Britain)
- 1947 New South Wales Open, Dunlop Southport Tournament, Star Tournament (Britain), North British Harrogate Tournament, Lotus Tournament (Britain), Penfold Tournament (Britain), Yorkshire Evening News Tournament.
- 1948 British Masters, Spalding Tournament, Lotus Tournament, Daily Mail Tournament, Australian PGA Championship, New South Wales Open
- 1949 Queensland Open
- 1950 Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship
- 1951 Australian PGA Championship, New South Wales PGA
- 1952 Australian Open
- 1953 Australian Open, Queensland Open, New South Wales Open
- 1954 New South Wales Open
- 1961 Queensland Open
- 1965 North Coast Open