By Don Donohue
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Robert Jay Sigel (born November 13, 1943) – (died April 20, 2025) was 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.
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.
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.
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WRITERS NOTES:
*Died of pancreatic cancer
*Was one of the greatest amateurs in golf history
*He 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 the captain
*Captured eight tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions and was the 1994 Rookie of the Year.
