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| No American has played in the Walker Cup more times than Philadelphia legend Jay Sigel, who was on nine teams between 1977 and 1993. (USGA Museum) |
By Dave Fanucchi
When 20 of the finest amateur golfers in the world gather at Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia for the upcoming 42nd Walker Cup Match, they may not know very much about the player who stands head and shoulders above any other American participant in the storied biennial competition. His name is not Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods or Mickelson, and for the better part of his golf career, he sold insurance and honed his game at Aronimink Golf Club -- another famous course in the City of Brotherly Love.
No player has competed in more Walker Cups or compiled more individual match victories for the USA than Jay Sigel. From 1977 through 1993, Sigel played on the USA Team in every Walker Cup Match, and was on the victorious side eight of the nine times.
In the 33 singles and foursomes matches Sigel played in over that 17-year span, he posted an 18-10-5 mark. In comparison, distinguished amateur (and former USGA president) Bill Campbell appeared in the second-highest number of individual matches, 18 – a total equal to the number of matches Sigel has actually won. Campbell went 11-4-3 in his 11 Walker Cup competitions.
Sigel’s Walker Cup numbers stand alone, ones that in this day and age of sports are comparable to Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak or Cal Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive games played. That is, they are thought of as nearly impossible to top.
“Making the Walker Cup team was something that I set as a goal for myself, when it came time to start working towards that every other summer,” said Sigel. “Then, after finding out how it felt to represent your country, it became even that much more important to me. So, it’s the USGA that I have to thank for keeping me in the game, and giving me the opportunities that I’ve had.”
Sigel was a playing captain in 1983 for a 13½ - 10½ USA triumph at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, and his personal favorite Walker Cup victory occurred when he was the playing captain again in 1985, as he led the USA to a 13-11 win at Pine Valley Golf Club. In a singles match on Saturday, Sigel played one of the finest rounds of his life, shooting the equivalent of six-under-par in defeating Colin Montgomerie, 5 and 4.
His most vivid memory of any of his singles matches came in 1989 at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta, when he was the USA’s anchor in a Sunday match against Jim Milligan. With the outcome of the Walker Cup hanging in the balance, Sigel led 2-up with four holes to play. A victory over Milligan, the 1988 Scottish Amateur champion, would keep the Cup in the hands of the Americans.
But Milligan birdied the 16th hole to slice Sigel’s lead to 1-up, and then holed an unlikely downhill chip for par on 17 to square the match. When both players bogeyed the 18th, the match was halved, and it gave the GB&I squad a 12½ - 11½ upset victory.
“It was not a good feeling at all. I was pretty shook up about it afterward, and it took me a few days to get over it,” said Sigel. “I’ve tried to forget about it, but I’ve also realized that it gave their side a victory when they really needed one, and they played beautifully that week. So, maybe that needed to happen, for the overall competition itself, because the USA had been having quite a bit of success in the years prior to that.”
Sigel has seen and done it all when it comes to the Walker Cup. In 1991, he and Allen Doyle got the best of Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley in foursomes, 2 and 1. He has partnered in foursomes matches with the likes of Scott Verplank, Billy Andrade, Hal Sutton and Scott Hoch, and has been teammates with players such as Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Corey Pavin, Justin Leonard and Davis Love III. And he has competed at venues such as Cypress Point Club, Muirfield, Sunningdale Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and Interlachen Country Club.
“Getting to know all of my teammates over the years, sharing the experience with them, meeting the players from the other teams, and then getting to compete on such tremendous golf courses, those are the things that have made it all so special to me,” said Sigel.
Aside from his Walker Cup experiences during the 1980s, Sigel was one of the premier amateur golfers in the world. He captured five USGA championships from 1982 to 1987, including back-to-back U.S. Amateur titles in 1982 and 1983. He went on to win three U.S. Mid-Amateur championships and brought home a total of six Philadelphia Open trophies. He twice made the cut as an amateur at the U.S. Open, with a best finish of T-43 in 1984 at Winged Foot.
But once the Wake Forest University graduate turned 50 in the fall of 1993, he finally gave up his amateur status and turned to the Champions Tour, where the play-for-pay concept did nothing to stop his success. He won eight professional tournaments from 1994 to 2003, and began the 2009 season ranked 16th on the Champions Tour career money list, having earned more than $9 million.
“I’m still the same person that I’ve always been, who started out playing in Philly-area amateur tournaments,” said Sigel, who was honored with the USGA’s Bob Jones Award in 1984. “My dad always told me to never let my head get too big from success, because people are always watching. So that’s the most important thing to me.”
Now 65, Sigel spends his time working in the insurance business and trying to recover from recent shoulder surgery. But as the first tee shot is struck at Merion come the morning of Sept. 12, one local resident will certainly have his heart invested in the outcome.
“I’ll be there in the crowd, watching for sure,” said Sigel. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
