Phil Skoglund

Phil Skoglund was a New Zealand lawn bowls player, born in Palmerston North on 20 June 1937, and part of what is described as New Zealand's greatest lawn bowls family dynasty. He was the son of the politician and cabinet minister Philip Oscar Skoglund and nephew of the champion bowler Pete Skoglund. In 1958 he became the youngest New Zealand national singles champion at the age of 20, and he won the national singles again in 1966, 1970, 1971 and 1972. He competed in five World Championships, in 1966, 1972, 1980, 1984 and 1988, taking a gold medal in the triples in 1988, silver medals in the fours in 1984 and 1988, and bronze medals in the pairs and fours in 1980 and the triples in 1984. At five Commonwealth Games between 1970 and 1990 he won bronze medals in the pairs in 1974 and the fours in 1990 and a silver in the fours in 1978. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1988 for services to bowls, was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and was an inaugural inductee of the Bowls New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2013. A transport company manager, he died in Palmerston North on 8 May 2015.