logo
Amateur legend Jay Sigel dies at age 81, USGA confirms

Amateur legend Jay Sigel dies at age 81, USGA confirms

NBC Sports20-04-2025

Jay Sigel, one of the greatest amateurs in golf history, died Saturday. He was 81.
The USGA confirmed his death, related to pancreatic cancer.
Sigel won the 1982 and '83 U.S. Amateurs and the 1979 British Amateur. He also won three U.S. Mid-Am titles (1982, '85 and '87) and competed in nine Walker Cups, the most in event history for the U.S., including twice as a playing captain.
Born and raised in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Sigel won 10 state amateurs, four state opens, and three times each in the Porter Cup, Sunnehanna Amateur and Northeast Amateur. He also competed 11 consecutive years, from 1978-88, at the Masters, making four cuts and earning low am honors three times. He was also low amateur in the 1984 U.S. Open and the 1980 Open Championship.
Upon turning professional late in his career, he captured eight victories on the PGA Tour Champions and was the 1994 Rookie of the Year.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

USGA says it's not necessary to test everyone's driver at events
USGA says it's not necessary to test everyone's driver at events

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

USGA says it's not necessary to test everyone's driver at events

OAKMONT, Pa. – Driver testing for characteristic time, or CT, became a headline at last month's PGA Championship when Rory McIlroy's driver was deemed nonconforming just days before the year's second major, and it was later learned that world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler's driver also failed the test, which essentially measures the 'springiness' of the driver face. Whether driver testing becomes a talking point again this week remains to be seen, but the USGA is forging ahead with testing at the U.S. Open. Advertisement According to John Bodenhamer, the USGA's chief championships officer, about a third of the field, a little more than 50 players, were tested this week at Oakmont. The USGA does not publish the results of the testing. 'There's nothing to suggest there are a ton of drivers that are over the limit,' said Thomas Pagel, the association's chief governance officer. 'It's less than a handful.' Following his victory at the PGA Championship, Scheffler said he'd like to see more 'robust' testing and that the current process only goes 'halfway.' Since the PGA Championship, many players have called for an all-or-nothing approach to driver testing and protocols that would either test the entire field at a particular event or no one. Advertisement 'We test them throughout the year and don't think it's necessary [to test every driver each week],' said Bodenhamer. 'It would be difficult, from a time perspective, to test every driver and we don't want to be too intrusive.' Currently, a player's driver is tested about three times a year at various events on the PGA Tour or at major championships, and logistically it would be a challenge to test the entire field at this week's U.S. Open with 156 players and each test lasting about 15 to 20 minutes. Instead, the USGA, along with the game's other stakeholders, contends more comprehensive testing isn't necessary based on the number of drivers that fail the CT testing. Close up on golf ball Plan B? No, the USGA is moving forward with ball roll back Advertisement USGA CEO Mike Whan stated clearly that the USGA, along with the R&A, plans to move forward with the ball roll back. 'We think the testing that we're doing is commensurate with both the degree of failure that we see, which is pretty minimal, and quite frankly, when we see failure, at least currently, we're seeing clubs just literally creep over the line,' said USGA CEO Mike Whan. 'It's a line we draw — we aren't seeing when we're taking drivers off, drivers that are, oh, my gosh, look where that one went [over the limit].' Some players also questioned the testing protocols, pointing out that there is no testing for CT, or creep, at LIV Golf events. The USGA, which administers CT testing at Tour events and the PGA Championship, does not test drivers at LIV events but Pagel said 'any tour, men or women, who reaches out for support, we would support.'

Jon Rahm says his 21 straight top-10 LIV Golf finishes aren't telling the whole story
Jon Rahm says his 21 straight top-10 LIV Golf finishes aren't telling the whole story

New York Post

time2 hours ago

  • New York Post

Jon Rahm says his 21 straight top-10 LIV Golf finishes aren't telling the whole story

OAKMONT, Pa. — Jon Rahm has 21 consecutive top-10 finishes in his LIV Golf events and was asked about that streak. 'I would happily trade a bunch of them for more wins, that's for sure, but I keep putting myself in good position,' he said. 'Listen, I'm a realist in this case. I've been playing really good golf, yes, but I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't easier to have top 10s with a smaller [48-player] field. 'Had I been playing full-field events, would I have top 10 every single week? No. Jon Rahm hits out of the bunker on the fourth hole of his U.S. Open practice round on June 11, 2025. Getty Images 'But I've been playing good enough to say that I would most likely have been inside the top 30 every single time and maybe even top 25, which for 21 straight tournaments I'd say that's pretty good. I still would have had a lot of top 10s, that's for sure. 'As much as I want to give it credit personally for having that many top 10s, I wouldn't always give it as the full amount just knowing that it's a smaller field.' John Bodenhamer, the USGA's chief championships officer, on Wednesday hinted that it's possible Phil Mickelson, who's playing in his 34th U.S. Open but is in the final year of his five-year exemption into the event, would be in consideration for a special invitation next year should be not otherwise qualify. The 2026 U.S. Open will be played at Shinnecock Hills, where Mickelson finished runner-up in 2004. Mickelson actually received a special exemption in 2021, but went on to win the PGA Championship to earn his way in as well as a five-year exemption. This week is the final year of that exemption. 'We would review things for Shinnecock ahead of next year and look at all of those possibilities and evaluate it from there,' Bodenhamer said when asked about another special invite. 'We hope he earns his way in, and I think he'd tell you the same thing. That's what he did last time. We gave him one and then he went out and won the PGA Championship. So, [we] wouldn't put it past him.'' Rory McIlroy was asked how 'big a factor' it was in his subpar PGA Championship performance last month having to play with his backup driver after he was forced to take his No. 1 out of play when it was deemed nonconforming by the USGA. 'It wasn't a big deal for Scottie [Scheffler], so it shouldn't have been a big deal for me,' he said. Rory McIlroy hits a tee shot on the first hole of his U.S. Open practice round on June 11, 2025. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Scheffler, the world No. 1 player who went on to win the PGA, also had his driver taken out of play because it was found to be nonconforming.

USGA says it's not necessary to test everyone's driver at events
USGA says it's not necessary to test everyone's driver at events

NBC Sports

time4 hours ago

  • NBC Sports

USGA says it's not necessary to test everyone's driver at events

Ahead of the U.S. Open, Fred Perpall, Mike Whan and John Bodenhamer of the USGA address weather concerns, the "dense" rough at Oakmont, why drivers fail testing, the USGA's next media rights deal and more. OAKMONT, Pa. – Driver testing for characteristic time, or CT, became a headline at last month's PGA Championship when Rory McIlroy's driver was deemed nonconforming just days before the year's second major, and it was later learned that world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler's driver also failed the test, which essentially measures the 'springiness' of the driver face. Whether driver testing becomes a talking point again this week remains to be seen, but the USGA is forging ahead with testing at the U.S. Open. According to John Bodenhamer, the USGA's chief championships officer, about a third of the field, a little more than 50 players, were tested this week at Oakmont. The USGA does not publish the results of the testing. 'There's nothing to suggest there are a ton of drivers that are over the limit,' said Thomas Pagel, the association's chief governance officer. 'It's less than a handful.' Following his victory at the PGA Championship, Scheffler said he'd like to see more 'robust' testing and that the current process only goes 'halfway.' Since the PGA Championship, many players have called for an all-or-nothing approach to driver testing and protocols that would either test the entire field at a particular event or no one. 'We test them throughout the year and don't think it's necessary [to test every driver each week],' said Bodenhamer. 'It would be difficult, from a time perspective, to test every driver and we don't want to be too intrusive.' Currently, a player's driver is tested about three times a year at various events on the PGA Tour or at major championships, and logistically it would be a challenge to test the entire field at this week's U.S. Open with 156 players and each test lasting about 15 to 20 minutes. Instead, the USGA, along with the game's other stakeholders, contends more comprehensive testing isn't necessary based on the number of drivers that fail the CT testing. Rex Hoggard, 'We think the testing that we're doing is commensurate with both the degree of failure that we see, which is pretty minimal, and quite frankly, when we see failure, at least currently, we're seeing clubs just literally creep over the line,' said USGA CEO Mike Whan. 'It's a line we draw — we aren't seeing when we're taking drivers off, drivers that are, oh, my gosh, look where that one went [over the limit].' Some players also questioned the testing protocols, pointing out that there is no testing for CT, or creep, at LIV Golf events. The USGA, which administers CT testing at Tour events and the PGA Championship, does not test drivers at LIV events but Pagel said 'any tour, men or women, who reaches out for support, we would support.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store