GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Former Australian Open champion Norman Von Nida, who won more than 80 titles worldwide and was a trailblazer for Australian golf, died Sunday. He was 93.
"The Von," as he was known to his friends, family and those in the golfing fraternity, had been suffering from ill health the past two months and died at a Gold Coast nursing home, his family said.
Von Nida won three Australian Opens and four Australian PGA Championships. He was one of the first Australian golfers to go overseas, winning the Philippine Islands Open in 1938 and finishing second on the Order of Merit in Europe in 1946.
Von Nida was renowned for his short temper. At an Australian tournament in 1948, he became involved in an argument with U.S. Ryder Cup player Henry Ransom that resulted in police having to pull them apart. He was also known to hurl his putter into the bushes after missing putts and breaking or losing them mid-round.
Von Nida is survived by his daughter, Keiri, her husband and four grandchildren.
