R. Jay Sigel, arguably one of the greatest amateurs in the history of golf, a charter member of the GAP Hall of Fame and one of the most well-respected individuals on and off the golf course, died April 19 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 81.
“He was a dear friend and somebody that we will remember forever, and take a lot of inspiration from,” said Kevin Hammer, the USGA’s president-elect and chair of the Championship Committee who had become close with Sigel and his family over the past 20 years, in a USGA release. “Best amateur since Bobby Jones hands down.
“Not only was his career as an amateur – and as a professional [on the PGA Tour Champions] — incredibly successful and legendary, but he [also] participated alongside all of the members [at Delray Dunes Golf & Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla.] in team matches, supported the club, helped the juniors and just was inspirational at every level. His legacy extends far beyond his playing credentials, which are extraordinary.”
On the golf course, Sigel’s golf royalty wasn’t limited to Philadelphia. His prowess spanned the entire golf world locally, nationally and internationally. There wasn’t an event he entered where he wasn’t on the shortlist of possible champions. He’d prove that to be true across more than 45 years of competition as an amateur and professional.
Sigel’s roots in golf began as a caddie at Bala Golf Club. Bala became instrumental in his development as a young player. Following consecutive Junior Boys’ Championship runners-up (1959-60) and Pennsylvania Golf Association Junior Championship victories (1960-61), Sigel eventually took his talents to Wake Forest University (1962-65), after graduating from Lower Merion High School. At Wake Forest, he earned the prestigious Arnold Palmer Scholarship and became an All-American.
On a straight and narrow path to becoming a professional, Sigel’s trajectory in golf was altered by a freak accident. As Sigel exited his campus residence, his left hand broke through a pane of glass on a swinging door, resulting in 70 stitches. After spending nine days in the hospital, Sigel abandoned his professional aspirations.
Sigel’s GAP resume includes: A record six Philadelphia Open Championships, five Joseph H. Patterson Cups, six Silver Cross awards and two Philadelphia Amateurs. His national record features two U.S. Amateurs and three U.S. Mid-Amateur crowns. Sigel earned low amateur honors in the Open Championship (1980), The Masters (1981-82, 1988) and the U.S. Open (1984). He claimed the British Amateur in 1979.
He won 11 Pennsylvania Amateurs and four Pennsylvania Opens. Sigel, a long-time Pine Valley Golf Club member, claimed a record-nine Crump Cups. He hoisted numerous invitational victories including the Northeast Amateur (1984-85, 1991), Sunnehanna Amateur (1976, 1978, 1988) and Porter Cup (1975, 1981, 1987).
Sigel’s first taste of GAP success came in the 1970 Joseph H. Patterson Cup at Merion Golf Club (East/West) with a four-shot victory. It resulted in his second-consecutive Silver Cross Award. He’d win six Silver Crosses (1969-70, 1972-75).
The syrupy-swinging Sigel went wire-to-wire to claim his first Philadelphia Amateur in 1973 at Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club in an 8&7 rout over Don Sowers of Reading Country Club. He added one more in 1987 at one of his favorite Philadelphia courses, Torresdale-Frankford Country Club, now Union League Golf Club at Torresdale.
“Yeah I’ve choked in this tournament before,” Sigel told Ray Didinger of the Philadelphia Bulletin after his 1973 Amateur win. “It seems like every year I point to the City Amateur and every year I am disappointed … I was jittery. I had a restless night last night. I didn’t get the sleep I did the rest of the week. This final was working on my mind.”
He claimed his first Philadelphia Open Championship in record fashion in 1975 at Bidermann Golf Club. His 12-shot victory is still a tournament record. The Open in 1987 at Gulph Mills Golf Club was his last GAP victory. It was his record sixth Open title (1975, 1977-78, 1980, 1986-87).
“The Philadelphia Open helped keep my game tuned,” Sigel said in the Summer 2024 issue of GAP Magazine highlighting the Philadelphia Open’s history. “There was extra pressure playing against the pros and I liked that. I always enjoyed it when an amateur beat a professional in golf.
“To have the most victories in Philadelphia Open history is satisfying. Those wins in the Philadelphia Open helped build confidence in my game. Look at the history of golf in Philadelphia. This area had a ton of great players back then. GAP always had great venues for the championships and playing in GAP events helped me prepare for when I started playing more regional and national events. The competition was key and to be able to rise to the top of that is a great personal achievement for me.”
Sigel’s national recognition began to evolve in the years following that record-setting win. His first taste of USGA success came in 1961 when he made it to the U.S. Junior Amateur Final.
In 1977, Sigel, now a member of Aronimink Golf Club, received an opportunity to play in the U.S. Amateur there, an event he desperately wanted to win. He lost to eventual champion John Fought in the semifinals. That year was the beginning of what would become Sigel’s impressive USGA resume. He competed in his first Walker Cup at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. He would not miss the biennial event for each of the next nine editions. He served as captain of the 1983 team at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England and the 1985 team at Pine Valley. Sigel holds the record for most U.S. matches played with 33 and U.S. match victories with 18.
“Back in 1985, Jay was the only person to beat me that summer,” Scott Verplank, five-time PGA TOUR winner, 1984 U.S. Amateur champion and member of the 1985 Walker Cup Team, said. “He rolled in a 40-footer to beat me at the Northeast Amateur in Rhode Island, which always kickstarted the summer golf calendar. I definitely took note of Jay and his accomplishments then. That always stuck with me. A couple of months later he picked me to play with him in the Walker Cup at Pine Valley. It was a dream. The other members on a team joked with him why he got to pick the best player as his partner. He said, ‘Because the captain gets first choice.’ He always had a good sense of humor.”
In the 1980s, Sigel was a national force. His first USGA championship came in the 1982 U.S. Amateur in an 8&7 rout of David Tolley at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. He’d repeat with a victory in 1983 at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Ill. in another 8&7 rout over Chris Perry. Sigel and Tiger Woods (1994-96) are the only players to win consecutive U.S. Amateur titles in the last 69 years.
Along with the U.S. Amateur in 1983, Sigel won his first of three (1983, 1985, 1987) U.S. Mid-Amateur titles. He is the only person to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur as well as winning both championships in the same year.
“We aren’t going to see what Jay accomplished again in amateur golf,” Jeff Kiddie, Aronimink’s Head Golf Professional since 2008, said. “That is an era gone by. To overcome the injury he dealt with to go on to have the career he had with such longevity is amazing. Playing in nine straight Walker Cups and 11 consecutive Masters Tournaments as an amateur are things that will never happen again. Jay would downplay his accomplishments a little bit but I know he was proud of them too.”
In 1985, he battled with fellow GAP Hall of Famer, O. Gordon Brewer, Jr. in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Final at The Vintage Club (Mountain Course) in Indian Wells, Calif. Sigel held off Brewer, 3&2.
It would be the last national championship on his amateur resume.
“When I heard the news, tears rolled down my cheek. I had the privilege of knowing Jay well. He will forever live in our memories and in the record books,” Brewer said. “Jay stands apart. I had tremendous admiration for him. When you watched him play you would not know if he was 10 over or 10 under. He had that skill to keep his emotions level. He could shoot 80 in a qualifying round and come back with some score in the 60s. He had that exceptional ability.”
The next chapter of his legendary career came when he turned 50 years old. He joined the Senior PGA TOUR in 1994 (now the PGA TOUR Champions) and became its Rookie of the Year. He would go on to win eight events on the senior circuit.
Sigel’s success wasn’t limited to the golf course. He developed his own insurance business and was the Senior Vice President, Benefits and Insurance Services at CBIZ MHM, LLC in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. for 28 years.
The Jay Sigel Invitational Tournament, created in 1992, is one of Sigel’s proudest accomplishments. For the past 33 years, the tournament has raised $5.1 million for breast cancer and prostate cancer research and patient care. The money goes toward helping find more and better treatments, uncover factors that may cause cancer and improve patients’ quality of life at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. It’s held annually at Aronimink.
“Because of the successes I had in golf, I needed to give back,” Sigel said in an interview for GAP’s 125th Anniversary in 2022. “In 1979 when I won the British Amateur, I realized there was a greater force in my life and I needed to pay it back. My dad died of cancer and I wanted to give back in that regard. Cancer used to be a death sentence. There’s been some great things that have happened as a result of this tournament. Success is important but significance takes precedent.”
Sigel is a recipient of the Bob Jones Award (1984) which is the USGA’s highest honor. The award recognizes an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game. He earned the Ben Hogan Award, given by the Golf Writers Association of America to a golfer who overcomes a physical aliment or handicap to play golf again, in 1984.
Sigel is survived by his wife of 57 years, Betty and his three daughters Jennifer, Amy, Megan and six grandchildren.
