Recap 1939: Von Nida’s Brilliant Win

With a brilliant final round of 67 Norman von Nida claimed his first NSW ‘close’ golf championship by four strokes from Jim Ferrier at Concord Golf Club. Von Nida’s four round total of 280 or four under par leaving him the only man in red numbers for the tournament.

Described back then as an up-and-coming star, Von Nida and Ferrier, widely regarded as the nation’s best player of the day, went shot-for shot for almost all of the Championship.

The opening day by all reports was miserable with rain and wind coming from all quarters. At the end of the opening 36 holes, however, The Von was three ahead courtesy of an opening round course record six under 65 which he had followed up with a tidy, if unspectacular, one over 72.

The weather on the final day was a marked improvement to the conditions players faced on day one but a strong westerly still made things difficult.

Unfazed but the breeze, Ferrier looked like he seized control of the tournament after a third round one under 70, while Von Nida, after an uncharacteristic 41 going out, could only card a 76.

With his reputation as fierce competitor growing by the day, Von Nida wasn’t done, and stung into action by his moving travails, he soon began the fightback. Beginning his final round with a birdie, The Von put on a display of machine-like golf, grabbing another birdie at the fifth to be out in 34, two under par.

Turning for home, his tee shot to the 10th finished just three feet from the pin to get to three under par , and although he dropped a stroke at the par three 16th, with Ferrier struggling, the race for the championship was all over.

The Bolger brothers, Fred and Bill, tied for third place with a total of 290, a further six shots back.

It was a watershed moment for Von Nida. He had finally turned the tables on Ferrier, who had come from behind to beat him in the Australian Open in Melbourne just weeks prior.

“I played my chip shots like a novice this morning, and missed nine putts of four or five feet,” The Sydney Sun reported Von Nida as saying after his win.

It was von Nida’s first NSW Close Championship Crown. Ferrier had contested the title on nine occasions and won it five times — including the previous four years in succession.

Final Scores:

Pos	Player	R1	R2	R3	R4	Tot	+/-
1	N Von Nida	65	72	76	67	280	-4
2	J Ferrier	67	73	70	74	284	E
3	W Bolger	73	71	74	72	290	6
3	F Bolger	72	73	72	73	290	6
5	VS Richardson	73	72	75	73	293	9
6	P. F. Hughes	78	71	73	73	295	11
7	R Carr	71	71	78	77	297	13
	H Pickworth	73	73	76	75	297	13
9	D Cullen	74	74	76	78	302	18
	E Bolger	74	76	76	76	302	18
11	E Cremin	74	74	79	76	303	19
12	JD Spence	78	75	78	74	305	21
12	L Kelly	79	78	73	76	306	22
14	NS Berwick	72	76	80	79	307	23
15	J L Larkin	77	73	82	76	308	24
16	P Sydney Jones	76	78	77	79	310	26
	B Fitzpatrick	76	79	78	77	310	26
	WR Fielding	79	79	79	73	310	26
	H Mailfert	77	76	80	77	310	26
20	JR Barriskil	74	78	81	78	311	27
21	TN Peters	79	78	77	79	313	29
22	NV Bush	74	80	81	80	315	31
23	HW Hattersley	74	78	83	81	316	32
24	J Harvey	76	79	83	79	317	33
25	MG Mayo	84	76	82	77	319	35
26	T Pellew	77	81	82	81	321	37
27	B Schaeffer	78	82	82	82	324	40
28	A Johnson	79	81	77	87	324	40
	J Palmer	83	78	81	86	328	44
30	B Mc William	82	85	80	83	330	46
31	J Fitzhardinge	84	88	80	81	333	49
	A W Fairfaz	83	83	80	87	333	49
33	J W Harris	84	85	79	86	334	50
34	W Gilligan	80	87	85	83	335	51
35	C J Lloyd	85	86	89	89	349	65

Recap 1939: Von Nida’s Brilliant Win

Final Scores:

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