Australia’s former British Open champion Kel Nagle has died, aged 94.

The golf icon is being remembered as the “great gentleman” of the game after he died peacefully in the early hours of Thursday morning at Sydney’s Mona Vale Hospital, his family said in a statement.

Nagle won the Open in 1960 at the age of 39, beating Arnold Palmer by one shot at the centenary event at St Andrews.

It was his only major victory but one of 80 professional tournament wins worldwide, including at least one every year from 1949 to 1975.

His first significant title came in 1949 at the Australian PGA championship, which he went on to win another five times. “Its a sad day for golf,” said PGA of Australia chief executive Brian Thorburn. “We’ve lost a champion of our game.”

Nagle is just one of five Australians inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.