Newt the Beaut – NSW Open 1976

NSW Golf, November 1976 page 2

Still flushed from the excitement of his magnificent win in the New South Wales Open at Royal Sydney, Jack Newton is again giving serious thought to tackling the tough American circuit next year.

To do that, of course, he’s got to win his player’s ticket to give him the right to play the richest tour in the world golf.

Newton failed in his last attempt to get his ticket but several things have made him think again of concentrating on the United States tour instead of the British and European circuits next year.

Mainly it’s the return of the old confidence and attacking flair that earned him a play-off for the British Open in 1975 at Carnoustie against American Tom Watson.

Then there’s the improvement of a nagging foot injury which for the past 18 months has left him sore and exhausted after a round of golf.

Since returning to Sydney, doctors have discovered that one of his legs is shorter than the other. He’s been given steel supports to wear in his shoes and gradually he’s getting used to them.

Then again his long-time friend Bob Shearer is returning to the States next year to tackle the circuit having won his player’s ticket earlier this year.

“I’d dearly like to join Bob on the US tour,” he told NSW Golf. It’s where the action is and I think I’ve regained the competitive edge I lost during my long lay-off in recent months.”

Perhaps the most astonishing thing about his victory in the New South Wales Open was that it was his first professional win in this country.

But it was the manner of his winning that underlined why in top form he is one of the most exciting players in the world. Those booming drives, deadly accurate iron shots and masterful putting.

His win at Royal Sydney will rank as one of the finest displays ever seen in this country. Along the way with his rounds of 67, 68, 68 and 66 he rewrote the record book.

His winning margin, ten strokes over joint runners-up Ted Ball and David Good, was a record for the event as was his final tally of 269 – 19 under par.

He broke the course record twice with a 68 on the first day and a staggering 66 on the final day.

It’s doubtful if Royal Sydney will get over the onslaught. The heavy rain meant there was very little run on the fairways and, in truth, course superintendent, Eric Stewart and his green staff did a colossal job to get the course playable on the final day after the washout on Saturday.

There’s little doubt that young Jack gets enormous benefit from having his father, Jack Newton Snr, caddying for him. “Dad gives me a lot of confidence and calms me down when things go wrong,” he said.

AGU president Eric Lusk has no doubt about the magnificence of Newton’s win. “When you consider the shocking conditions the NSW Open was played under, I rate Newton’s four rounds as good a performance as Gary Player’s win at Kooyonga in the Australian Open when he shot two 62’s,” he said.

If the weather was unkind the sponsors, Bonds’ Industries, the Rural Bank, Filtrite, Radio Rentals, Clark Rubber, Johnny Walker Whiskey and American Express can take heart in that they backed a tournament which produced golf of rare excellence.

Final results in Royal Sydney in the $25,000 NSW Open:-