© Copyright 2005 Jay Sigel
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© Copyright 2005 Jay Sigel
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 Hall of Fame The Golf Association of Philadelphia's inaugural Hall of Fame class - R. Jay Sigel, William Hyndman, III and J. Wood Platt - will be recognized at the Association’s annual Player’s Diner on Oct. 7 at Torresdale-Frankford Country Club. |
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  Hitting fairways, sinking putts, and bringing in business. By Mark Hyman
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Brush with the King
Sigel's chat with Palmer paid off for Wake Forest
It was 1961 at the Bing Crosby National. As Champions Tour player Jay Sigel recalls it, snow fell that week on the entertainer's
annual pro-am at Pebble Beach. If Crosby's tournament that year fittingly resembled a white Christmas, then it was Wake Forest
University who got quite a gift.
Enrolled at Houston at the time, Sigel was considering transferring to Wake. One of Crosby's famous soirees gave him a unique
opportunity to hear about the college from a legendary Wake alumnus.
"During the week, I got up the courage to ask Arnold [Palmer] for some time to tell me about Wake Forest," Sigel said. "I remember
he excused himself from a conversation with Crosby and Bob Hope, and we sat down in front of the fireplace at The Lodge at Pebble Beach.
"In 30 minutes, I made the decision to make a visit and subsequently transferred there."
As it turned out, Palmer was smart to forsake the legendary entertainers for a conversation with the young golfer. While at Wake Forest,
Sigel accumulated a number of accolades, including All-America honors in 1963 and '64. He won the Atlantic Coast Conference individual
crown in 1963 and led his team to the ACC team title that same year.
In 1984, Sigel was inducted into the Wake Forest University Hall of Fame and was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Men's Golf Team in
2002, celebrating the most talented golfers from the league's member schools. He may have had talent on the course, but it took Sigel
two shots to land on Wake's renowned golf squad.
"I was the top junior player in the country but was not a good student in high school," Sigel said of his original recruitment period.
"I applied to Stanford, Wake Forest, Miami and Houston. Dave Williams, the Houston golf coach, recruited me, and I ended up going there
after I wasn't admitted to Stanford and Wake Forest."
A little prodding from a family friend helped him eventually end up in Winston Salem, N.C. Sigel's father and Arnold Palmer's father-in-law,
Schub Walzer, were fraternity brothers at Penn State. "Mr. Walzer stayed on my dad about me eventually still going to Wake Forest," Sigel
remembered.
Sigel, considered to be one of the best amateur golfers of all time, won several amateur titles and still holds the record for most points
won in Walker Cup history. He turned professional when he turned 50 and joined the Champions Tour, winning Rookie of the Year honors in
his inaugural season in 1994. Since then, he has captured eight Tour titles, with his biggest victory coming at the 1996 Energizer Senior
Tour Championship.
In 2000, the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association named him the Most Courageous Athlete for his contributions to golf and charitable
organizations. It took a bit of that courage to speak to Palmer, but the transfer to Wake that followed helped start his successful career.
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THE 66TH SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP'S NOTEBOOK
Sigel stricken with sudden case of vertigo...
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GOLF REPORTby Ed Abrams KYW 1060 News Radio Saturday, May 14, 2005 Jay Sigel's Long Recovery Compared to other sports, golf isn't exactly physically demanding. But just try playing the game with a sore back, a stiff neck or, as in the case of senior tour player Jay Sigel, a bad wheel: "I tore the calf muscle. I had some knee surgery over the winter and tore the calf muscle four weeks ago in my right calf hitting a tee shot." Which led to rehab, a return to the tour, another tear, and the start of what he hopes isn't a vicious cycle: "It's not the walking that's an issue. I don't mind walking. But I've just had some tightness in my calf oiver the last year or so, and tried to stretch it out. And I don't think it's at all related to my surgery. It's just a quirk, and I've got to deal with it." Sigel was back home this week to help promote the Philadelphia First Tee Program, and the new facilities at FDR Golf Course. More on that next week. Meantime, a reminder to join me on TV for Golfshots, presented by Buick, Sunday nights at 6pm on Comcast SportsNet. |
ON GOLFby Joe Logan The Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday, May 15, 2005 Trouble for Sigel More medical ailments trouble local Champions Tour player Jay Sigel, this time a torn calf muscle. Five weeks ago, midway through a practice round in Florida, Sigel hit a tee shot and felt a sudden pain his lower right leg, as if he had been stabbed. "The moment it happened, I knew I'd hurt myself," Sigel said last week. By the time he could hobble to the ninth green, Sigel knew he'd better head to the hospital. There, doctors initially feared a blood clot but eventually had a different diagnosis:
For Sigel, 61, who underwent a knee scoping over the winter and arthroscopic surgeries on both shoulders in recent years, the only bright spot in this latest injury is that it occurred in the middle of a four-week stretch during which the Champions Tour had no events. Truth be told, Sigel wasn't totally surprised when the leg pain hit him. The leg had been tight for days, and he'd been doing his best to keep it stretched. Even so, to compensate for the tightness and minor pain (also in his toes and feet), he had tweaked his swing in ways that were slightly awkward. The result, he figures, was too much torque and pressure on his right side. "It's all related," Sigel said of his assorted aches and pains. Still, two weeks ago, because he felt better, Sigel returned to action earlier than his doctor recommended, at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in Savannah, Ga. The leg held up fine, he said, probably because he rode in a cart during the practice rounds and because the course was flat. (He finished tied for 39th place, earning $11,600.)
"I hurt it again," he said. "A little pain is back. I'm gun-shy." Sigel, 38th on the money list with $102,443 in winnings this year, has pulled out of this week's Blue Angels Classic in Pensacola, Fla., the first tournament of this year he will miss. Even with all his aches and pains, he's not thinking retirement. "I still enjoy the competition," said Sigel, who was appearing at a fund-raising tournament for the First Tee of Philadelphia, of which he is president. "I still enjoy hitting the shots. I still can hit the shots. I still can win." Permission to reproduce this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer was granted by Joe Logan via e-mail (jlogan@phillynews.com). |
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A tear, about five inches long, depth undetermined, in his medial gastrocnemius, one of the big muscles that
is the meat of the calf. Prognosis: Five to six weeks' rest and rehabilitation, plenty of ice and heat, followed
by a slow return to action.
However, when he tried to play the next week, on a much hillier course at the FedEx Kinko's Classic in Austin, Texas, Sigel knew
he had pushed his luck.