The PGA of Australia has announced that six-time Australian PGA Champion and 1960 British Open winner KEL NAGLE would be immortalised in a new award which will be presented annually to the Best Performing Rookie in the Australian PGA Championship. The award will be known as the KEL NAGLE PLATE.

The award was inaugurated at a celebratory dinner last night (Wednesday 30 Nov 2005) to commemorate the centenary staging of the Australian PGA Championship which was attended by 22 of the 33 living past champions as well as the cream of Australian golf.

The PGA invited its living past champions to vote on which past Champion they would like the award named after. Nagle was their overwhelming choice to be the Champion of PGA Champions. The vote was conducted by the PGA of Australia in the lead-up to the Centenary Championship.

Kel was unable to attend the dinner due to the passing this week of his daughter although he responded in the following statement:

"I am very honoured to be chosen by such a distinguished group of players for this. But most of all I am happy for whichever player wins it."

In announcing the award PGA President Geoff Scott said that, "Kel is not only one of Australia’s greatest sporting champions and a true gentleman, but I am thrilled to see that his popularity and influence extends over the breadth of his PGA Championship peers."

"Nagle’s name will now live forever as our greatest PGA Champion," he added.