In a national championship where youth was expected to dominate, I found myself up against another veteran in his 30s in the second round. Taylor Metcalfe had qualified for six previous U.S. Amateurs and reached this one by beating Gary Player’s son Wayne in a sudden-death playoff. Like boxers searching for an opening, we traded pars on the first couple of holes. But then, on the tough third hole, Metcalfe chipped in to take a 1-up lead. I admit I was a bit stunned on the fourth when he chipped in again—this time for birdie to take a 2-up advantage. My caddie, Steve, and I looked at each other but didn’t say a word.
In all my years of tournament golf, I had never seen anything like what happened next. Incredibly, Metcalfe chipped in for the third straight hole to take a 3-up lead. Steve looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, he can’t keep this up.”
I responded, “I don’t know, maybe he can.”
I was now three down after five against an opponent who hadn’t putted in four holes. I can’t remember everything that passed through my mind at that moment, but I know that if I had allowed Metcalfe’s burst of short game brilliance to affect my mental state, our match would have been over. I took dead aim at the flag on the sixth green and began the slow climb back into the match. By the time we reached the 18th hole, I had cut the lead to one but faced a 15-foot putt to avoid elimination. I thought when it went in, it would crush my opponent’s spirit, but he continued the fight for three more holes.
Jay Sigel was born on November 13, 1943, in Narberth, Pennsylvania. An all-around athlete, Jay learned to play golf near his home at the Bala Golf Club. At the age of 16, he won his first Pennsylvania junior championship, and at 17, he won his first national championship. Recruited to play golf at the perennial golf powerhouse, the University of Houston, he soon transferred to Wake Forest University, where he became the first recipient of the Arnold Palmer scholarship. In his first year of eligibility, Jay won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
After sustaining a near career-ending hand injury, Jay decided to forgo a possible professional career and remain an amateur. Over the next 30 years, he compiled one of the greatest records in golf history while also building a successful insurance business. His accomplishments in golf included capturing dozens of state and local championships, as well as two U.S. Amateur Championships, three U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships, and a British Amateur Championship. He played on a recond nine Walker Cup teams, twice as playing-captain.
At the age of 50, Jay turned professional and joined the PGA Senior Tour (today's PGA Tour Champions). He won eight tournaments and compiled over $9 million in winnings. Active in his community and philanthropy, Jay served on the Board of Trustees of Wake Forest University, where he established a scholarship fund.
He spent decades as chair of the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia and its predecessor organization. In 1993, he established his signature event, the Jay Sigel Invitational, which has raised $5.8 million for Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center. Jay and his wife, Betty, raised three daughters, Jennifer, Amy, and Megan.
John Riley retired as a public relations executive in 2016 and began a new career as an author at the age of 70. The Last Amateur is his fifth book. His books have won both national and local awards and his biography on the life of PGA Tour professional Ed “Porky” Oliver was a finalist for the United States Golf Association’s 2022 Herbert Warren Wind Award.
John and his wife, Sharon, live in Wilmington Delaware. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware where he captained the golf team.
Finalist for the USGA's 2022 Herbert Warren Wind Award
Recognized as best adult non-fiction book of 2019 in the memoir/autobiography category by the Delaware Press Association
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