Jay Sigel

Last updated

Jay Sigel
Personal information
Full nameRobert Jay Sigel
Born (1943-11-13) November 13, 1943 (age 81)
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight212 lb (96 kg; 15.1 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Residence Berwyn, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career
College Wake Forest University
Turned professional1993
Former tour(s) Champions Tour
Professional wins20
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour Champions8
Other12
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T26: 1980
PGA Championship DNP
U.S. Open T43: 1984
The Open Championship T38: 1980
Achievements and awards
Bob Jones Award 1984
Senior PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year 		1994

Robert Jay Sigel (born November 13, 1943) is an American professional golfer. He enjoyed one of the more illustrious careers in the history of U.S. amateur golf, before turning pro in 1993 at age 50, when he became a member of the Senior PGA Tour, now known as the PGA Tour Champions.

Contents

Early years

Born and raised in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Sigel grew up playing golf at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. He attended high school at Lower Merion High School in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. From there he moved on to Wake Forest University where he was a member of the golf team. He graduated with a degree in sociology in 1967.

Amateur career

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Sigel was one of America's premier amateur golfers. He compiled victories in the U.S. Amateur, British Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur, competed on nine Walker Cup teams, and won numerous other amateur titles. In 1975 he was ranked the #8 amateur in the U.S. by Golf Digest and the following year advanced to #4. [1]

In 1983, he became the only golfer ever to win the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur in the same year, which made him only the third golfer to win two USGA individual titles in the same year. He was also runner-up in the Canadian Amateur Championship that year. Although he remained an amateur he did occasionally compete in professional events on the PGA Tour. His best finish was tied 18th at the 1979 IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic. He was the low amateur in the 1980 Open Championship, the 1984 U.S. Open, and the Masters Tournament in 1980, 1981, and 1988.

Business career and personal life

Sigel was considering a professional golf career while in college, but injured his arm in an accident. [2] He decided on a career in insurance, while competing in high-level amateur golf. Sigel developed his own successful insurance business in the Philadelphia area for over 30 years. He recently[ when? ] sold the business to Century Business Services, where he remains a senior vice president. He is a Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and a qualifying life member of the Million Dollar Round Table. He also sits on the Corporate Advisory Board for the American Cancer Society, and is the president of the Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf Association and the First Tee of Philadelphia chapter. He hosts the Annual Jay Sigel Invitational Golf Tournament at his home course, Aronimink Golf Club. The proceeds from this tournament benefit prostate cancer research at the University of Pennsylvania. He has three daughters and currently[ as of? ] resides in Berwyn, Pennsylvania with wife Betty.

Professional career

Sigel turned professional when he reached the age of 50. He joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1994 and won Rookie of the Year honors, when he earned 14 top-10 finishes and secured his first victory at the GTE West Classic. For the next five seasons, he finished in the top-31 on the Senior Tour money list. He won eight events; the last was the 2003 Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am. In the 2004 Champions Tour season, Sigel finished in the money in all 28 tournaments that he entered and had six top-10 finishes. During the 2005 campaign his best finish was 5th at the Turtle Bay Championship. He has career earnings of over $9 million. Since joining the Champions Tour in 1994, Sigel has been sponsored by Global Management Consulting and technology services company Accenture.

Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

Professional wins

Other wins (10)

this list may be incomplete

all as an amateur

Champions Tour wins (8)

Legend
Tour Championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (7)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Mar 6, 1994 GTE West Classic 70-66-62=198−12Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Jim Colbert
2Nov 10, 1996 Energizer Senior Tour Championship 69-69-69-72=279−92 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Kermit Zarley
3May 4, 1997 Bruno's Memorial Classic 68-67-70=205−113 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Gil Morgan
4Jul 6, 1997 Kroger Senior Classic 66-63-66=195−187 strokes Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Isao Aoki
5May 24, 1998 Bell Atlantic Classic 74-62-69=205−11Playoff Flag of Spain.svg José María Cañizares
6Oct 25, 1998 EMC Kaanapali Classic 61-72-68=201−122 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Hugh Baiocchi, Flag of the United States.svg Larry Laoretti
7May 26, 2002 Farmers Charity Classic 67-69-67=203−132 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Morris Hatalsky
8May 18, 2003 Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am 72-68-65=205−111 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Mike McCullough

Champions Tour playoff record (2–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1994 GTE West Classic Flag of the United States.svg Jim Colbert Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
2 1997 Toshiba Senior Classic Flag of the United States.svg Bob Murphy Lost to birdie on ninth extra hole
31997 Northville Long Island Classic Flag of the United States.svg Dana Quigley Lost to par on third extra hole
4 1998 Bell Atlantic Classic Flag of Spain.svg José María Cañizares Won with birdie on third extra hole

Other senior wins

Results in major championships

Tournament197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989
Masters Tournament CUTCUTT26LAT35LACUTCUTCUTT44CUTCUTT39LA
U.S. Open CUTCUTT43LAT64CUT
The Open Championship T38LACUT

Note: Sigel never played in the PGA Championship

  Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Golf Association</span> Governing body for golf in the United States

The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules of golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system for golfers, conducts 14 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open, and tests golf equipment for conformity with regulations. The USGA and the USGA Museum are located in Liberty Corner, New Jersey. In 2024, the USGA moved its Testing Center from Liberty Corner, New Jersey to Pinehurst, North Carolina. The Testing Center is where all golf clubs and golf balls manufactured in the United States and Mexico are tested for conformance to the Rules of Golf. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Crenshaw</span> American professional golfer

Ben Daniel Crenshaw is a retired American professional golfer who has won 19 events on the PGA Tour, including two major championships: the Masters Tournament in 1984 and 1995. He is nicknamed Gentle Ben.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gil Morgan</span> American professional golfer (born 1946)

Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD is an American professional golfer.

Scott Rachal Verplank is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Doyle</span> American professional golfer

Allen Michael Doyle is an American professional golfer. Though a talented golfer, Doyle elected not to turn pro after graduating from Vermont's Norwich University. He moved to the south where he owned and operated a driving range in Georgia. In his free time he played in elite amateur events, winning the Georgia Amateur and Sunnehanna Amateur several times each. At the age of 46, Doyle turned professional and had extraordinary success as a pro, winning three events on the Nike Tour and 11 events on the Champions Tour, including the U.S. Senior Open twice.

Robert Daniel Clampett Jr. is an American television golf analyst, golf course architect, writer, and professional golfer, who played on the PGA Tour from 1980 to 1995. Clampett began playing on the Champions Tour in April 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cook (golfer)</span> American professional golfer

John Neuman Cook is an American professional golfer, who won eleven times on the PGA Tour and was a member of the Ryder Cup team in 1993. He was ranked in the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking for 45 weeks in 1992 and 1993. Cook currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and is a studio analyst on Golf Channel.

Aronimink Golf Club is a private country club in the eastern United States, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, a suburb west of Philadelphia. Its championship layout is consistently rated among the nation's top golf courses. Aronimink is currently ranked 78th in Golf Digest's "Greatest Courses," 44th in "Toughest Courses" and 55th in Golfweek's "Classic Courses." In 2010, Aronimink was ranked #4 among the toughest courses on the PGA Tour by Links magazine.

Joseph Martin "Jodie" Mudd is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Twitty</span> American professional golfer (born 1949)

Howard Allen Twitty is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s; and played on the Champions Tour from 1999 until 2007.

The National, originally titled for sponsorship reasons as the AT&T National and later as the Quicken Loans National, was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 2007 to 2018. It was hosted by Tiger Woods and benefited the Tiger Woods Foundation. It was usually held either in late June or during the Fourth of July weekend in the Washington, D.C. area, except for 2010 and 2011 when it was held near Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Cowan</span> Canadian golfer

Gary Cowan is a Canadian golfer who has achieved outstanding results at the highest class in amateur competition.

The Sunnehanna Amateur, officially the Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament for Champions, is a men's amateur golf tournament. Founded in 1954, it is hosted annually at the Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States. It is considered to be one of the top amateur golf tournaments held in the United States and is classified as a Category A event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Dillard Pruitt is an American amateur golfer, who formerly played professionally on the PGA Tour.

John Richard Harris is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Robert Stanton Greenwood, Jr. is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour from 1969 to 1975. He is a PGA of America Life Member.

William Hyndman III was an American amateur golfer.

Nathan T. Smith is an American amateur golfer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collin Morikawa</span> American professional golfer (born 1997)

Collin Morikawa is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He began his PGA Tour career with 22 consecutive made cuts, second only to Tiger Woods' 25-cut streak. Morikawa has six PGA Tour wins – including two major championships, the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship, winning both in his debut. In May 2018, Morikawa spent three weeks as the top-ranked golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He also became the first American to win the Race to Dubai on the European Tour.

Bobby Wyatt is an American professional golfer. He had a successful amateur career, playing in the 2013 Walker Cup.

References

  1. ↑ "Dunaway Finds His Game..." The Charlotte Observer. January 30, 1977. p. 56. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Injured golfer isn't thinking of past". Lodi News-Seninel. (California). UPI. September 7, 1982. p. 18.
  3. ↑ "28 Jul 1966, 60 - Intelligencer Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Amateur Championship – Past Champions". Pennsylvania Golf Association. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.