2-Time U.S. Amateur Champion, Golf Legend, Passes Away at 81

Newsweek

21-04-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
One of the most decorated amateur players in golf history, Jay Sigel, has passed away due to pancreatic cancer at the age of 81. The Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania native left a lasting legacy for fans of the sport.
Sigel began his golf career as a child, excelling as a junior. He went on to play collegiate golf at Wake Forest University, where he graduated with a degree in sociology.
Despite his extraordinary talent and skill, Sigel chose to remain an amateur after injuring an arm in an accident. In the years that followed, he became one of the country's top amateur stars.
Although he never left the elite ranks of amateur golf during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, his greatest successes came when he had reached full maturity. In 1979, at the age of 36, he won his first major world tournament, the British Amateur. Three years later, he won the US Amateur for the first time.
Jay Siegel hits a shot during the final round of the Toshiba Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club on March 8, 2009 in Newport Beach, California.
Jay Siegel hits a shot during the final round of the Toshiba Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club on March 8, 2009 in Newport Beach, California.
Getty Images/Jeff Gross
In 1983, he achieved one of the greatest feats of his career by winning the US Amateur and the US Mid-Amateur, becoming only the third player in history to win two USGA titles in the same year (Chick Evans, Bobby Jones).
His extraordinary results opened the doors to numerous editions of three of the four major championships. He demonstrated his exceptional quality by winning the low amateur prize in all of them. He did it three times at the Masters Tournament, in 1980 (T26), 1981 (T35) and 1988 (T39), at the US Open in 1984 (T43) and at the Open Championship in 1980 (T38).
He also participated in 10 editions of the Walker Cup, winning eight times. Sigel was both player and captain in 1983 and 1985.
When he turned 50 in 1993, he decided to start his professional career to play in the senior circuit (current PGA Tour Champions). This new phase of his career was equally successful, with eight victories between 1994 and 2003.
"Best amateur since Bobby Jones hands down," Kevin Hammer, the USGA's president-elect, said after learning of Sigel's passing, according to Golf Digest.
Outside of his golf career, Sigel was a successful insurance agent who built his own company in the Philadelphia area. He was also a well-known philanthropist for causes such as prostate cancer.
More Golf: Joel Dahmen 'In Shock,' Misses Tap-In to Lose PGA Tour Event