Leo Diegel: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American professional golfer (1899–1951)}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}} |
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}} |
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{{Infobox golfer |
{{Infobox golfer |
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| nickname = Eagle |
| nickname = Eagle |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1899|4|20}} |
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1899|4|20}} |
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| birth_place = [[Gratiot Township, Michigan|Gratiot Township]],<br>[[Wayne County, Michigan]] |
| birth_place = [[Gratiot Township, Michigan|Gratiot Township]],<br>[[Wayne County, Michigan]], U.S. |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1951|5|5|1899|4|20}} |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1951|5|5|1899|4|20}} |
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| death_place = [[North Hollywood, California]] |
| death_place = [[North Hollywood, California]], U.S. |
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| height = |
| height = 5 ft 10 in |
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| weight = {{convert|164|lb|kg st|abbr=on}} |
| weight = {{convert|164|lb|kg st|abbr=on}} |
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| nationality = {{flagcountry|USA|1912}} |
| nationality = {{flagcountry|USA|1912}} |
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==Early years== |
==Early years== |
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Born in [[Gratiot Township, Michigan|Gratiot Township]], [[Wayne County, Michigan]],<ref>{{cite web |
Born in [[Gratiot Township, Michigan|Gratiot Township]], [[Wayne County, Michigan]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Michigan, Births, 1867–1902|publisher=familysearch.org|url=https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQF4-3LZ|access-date=December 29, 2014|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222226/https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQF4-3LZ|url-status=live}}</ref> Diegel began [[caddying]] at age ten<ref name=lddali/> and won his first significant event at age 17, the 1916 [[Michigan Open]]. |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Diegel was selected for the first four [[Ryder Cup]] teams in [[1927 Ryder Cup|1927]], [[1929 Ryder Cup|1929]], [[1931 Ryder Cup|1931]], and [[1933 Ryder Cup|1933]]. His greatest season was 1928, with wins at the [[Canadian Open (golf)|Canadian Open]] and the [[match play]] [[1928 PGA Championship|PGA Championship]], where he stopped the four-year winning streak of [[Walter Hagen]]. Diegel defeated him in the quarterfinal to avenge earlier defeats in the [[1925 PGA Championship|1925]] quarterfinal and the [[1926 PGA Championship|1926]] final.<ref name=lgwfnyr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K8xPAAAAIBAJ&pg=1790%2C949131 |newspaper=Evening Independent |location=St. Petersburg, Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Local golfer wins from New Yorker |date=September 27, 1926 |page=8 }}</ref> Diegel achieved the rare feat of defending both titles successfully in 1929, this time defeating Hagen in the semifinals of the PGA. Diegel was a runner-up to [[Bobby Jones (golfer)|Bobby Jones]] at the [[The Open Championship|British Open]] in [[1930 Open Championship|1930]]. |
Diegel was selected for the first four [[Ryder Cup]] teams in [[1927 Ryder Cup|1927]], [[1929 Ryder Cup|1929]], [[1931 Ryder Cup|1931]], and [[1933 Ryder Cup|1933]]. His greatest season was 1928, with wins at the [[Canadian Open (golf)|Canadian Open]] and the [[match play]] [[1928 PGA Championship|PGA Championship]], where he stopped the four-year winning streak of [[Walter Hagen]]. Diegel defeated him in the quarterfinal to avenge earlier defeats in the [[1925 PGA Championship|1925]] quarterfinal and the [[1926 PGA Championship|1926]] final.<ref name=lgwfnyr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K8xPAAAAIBAJ&pg=1790%2C949131 |newspaper=Evening Independent |location=St. Petersburg, Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Local golfer wins from New Yorker |date=September 27, 1926 |page=8 }}</ref> Diegel achieved the rare feat of defending both titles successfully in 1929, this time defeating Hagen in the semifinals of the PGA. Diegel was a runner-up to [[Bobby Jones (golfer)|Bobby Jones]] at the [[The Open Championship|British Open]] in [[1930 Open Championship|1930]]. |
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Diegel was an excellent ball-striker, but struggled with his putting after joining the tour. After extensive experimentation, he eventually developed an unusual putting style where he pointed both elbows outwards; this was referred to as 'Diegeling'. He was a tour winner from 1920 to 1934, but dropped out of regular contention when he reached his mid-30s; a playful wrestling incident in [[Australia]] in late 1934 with friend [[Harry Cooper (golfer)|Harry Cooper]] caused nerve damage to his right shoulder and <!--automobile accident in 1938--> effectively ended his tour career.<ref name=winjfld>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0KFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6447%2C1538743 |newspaper=Deseret News |agency=INS |last=Rawles |first=Wallace N. |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |title=Wrestling injury forces Leo Diegel to quit pro golf|date=January 13, 1936 |page=9 }}</ref> |
Diegel was an excellent ball-striker, but struggled with his putting after joining the tour. After extensive experimentation, he eventually developed an unusual putting style where he pointed both elbows outwards; this was referred to as 'Diegeling'. He was a tour winner from 1920 to 1934, but dropped out of regular contention when he reached his mid-30s; a playful wrestling incident in [[Australia]] in late 1934 with friend [[Harry Cooper (golfer)|Harry Cooper]] caused nerve damage to his right shoulder and <!--automobile accident in 1938--> effectively ended his tour career.<ref name=winjfld>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0KFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6447%2C1538743 |newspaper=Deseret News |agency=INS |last=Rawles |first=Wallace N. |location=Salt Lake City, Utah |title=Wrestling injury forces Leo Diegel to quit pro golf |date=January 13, 1936 |page=9 |access-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707112431/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0KFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6447%2C1538743 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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==Death== |
==Death== |
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[[Men's major golf championships|Major championships]] are shown in '''bold'''. |
[[Men's major golf championships|Major championships]] are shown in '''bold'''. |
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''Note: The PGA Tour<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.ATR727.html |title=Most career wins (top 50) |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=September 27, 2020}}</ref> and [[World Golf Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/leo-diegel/ |title=World Golf Hall of Fame profile |access-date=June 16, 2014}}</ref> list Diegel with 28 official wins. The PGA Tour book ''History of the PGA Tour'' lists 29 wins, and includes the 1925 Mid-Southern Amateur-Professional listed below.''<ref>{{cite book |last=Barkow |first=Al |author-link=Al Barkow |title=The History of the PGA Tour |publisher=Doubleday |year=1989 |isbn=0-385-26145-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofpgatour00bark/page/276 276] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofpgatour00bark/page/276 }}</ref> |
''Note: The PGA Tour<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.ATR727.html |title=Most career wins (top 50) |publisher=PGA Tour |access-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926160338/https://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.ATR727.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[World Golf Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/leo-diegel/ |title=World Golf Hall of Fame profile |access-date=June 16, 2014 |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707112317/https://worldgolfhalloffame.org/leo-diegel/ |url-status=live }}</ref> list Diegel with 28 official wins. The PGA Tour book ''History of the PGA Tour'' lists 29 wins, and includes the 1925 Mid-Southern Amateur-Professional listed below.''<ref>{{cite book |last=Barkow |first=Al |author-link=Al Barkow |title=The History of the PGA Tour |publisher=Doubleday |year=1989 |isbn=0-385-26145-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofpgatour00bark/page/276 276] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofpgatour00bark/page/276 }}</ref> |
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===Other wins (8)=== |
===Other wins (8)=== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Commons category|Leo Diegel}} |
{{Commons category|Leo Diegel}} |
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* |
*{{World Golf Hall of Fame|leo-diegel}} |
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*[http://www.usgamuseum.com/about_museum/news_events/news_article.aspx?newsid=199 USGA Museum |
*[http://www.usgamuseum.com/about_museum/news_events/news_article.aspx?newsid=199 USGA Museum – Leo Diegel and his Magic Wand Putter] |
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131119232647/http://museum.pgalinks.com/index.cfm?page=memberprofiles PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame |
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131119232647/http://museum.pgalinks.com/index.cfm?page=memberprofiles PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame – member profiles] |
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* |
*{{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050919133812/http://golf.about.com/od/golfersmen/p/leo_diegel.htm |title=Leo Diegel at golf.about.com |date=September 19, 2005 }} |
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*{{Find a Grave|40490279}} |
*{{Find a Grave|40490279}} |
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[[Category:Golfers from Detroit]] |
[[Category:Golfers from Detroit]] |
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[[Category:Golfers from California]] |
[[Category:Golfers from California]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Sportspeople from Greater Los Angeles]] |
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[[Category:1899 births]] |
[[Category:1899 births]] |
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[[Category:1951 deaths]] |
[[Category:1951 deaths]] |
Latest revision as of 02:48, 8 July 2024
Leo Diegel | |||
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Personal information | |||
Full name | Leo Harvey Diegel | ||
Nickname | Eagle | ||
Born | Gratiot Township, Wayne County, Michigan, U.S. | April 20, 1899||
Died | May 5, 1951 North Hollywood, California, U.S. | (aged 52)||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
Weight | 164 lb (74 kg; 11.7 st) | ||
Sporting nationality | Vereinigte Staaten | ||
Spouse | Violet Bird Diegel[1] (m.1934–1951, his death)[2] | ||
Career | |||
Turned professional | 1916 | ||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour | ||
Professional wins | 36 | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 28 | ||
Other | 8 | ||
Best results in major championships (wins: 2) | |||
Masters Tournament | T16: 1934 | ||
PGA Championship | Won: 1928, 1929 | ||
U.S. Open | T2: 1920 | ||
The Open Championship | T2: 1930 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
|
Leo Harvey Diegel (April 20, 1899 – May 5, 1951) was an American professional golfer of the 1920s and early 1930s. He captured consecutive PGA Championships, played on the first four Ryder Cup teams, and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.[3]
Early years
[edit]Born in Gratiot Township, Wayne County, Michigan,[4] Diegel began caddying at age ten[1] and won his first significant event at age 17, the 1916 Michigan Open.
Career
[edit]Diegel was a runner-up in his first U.S. Open in 1920, one stroke behind champion Ted Ray. He won 28 PGA circuit events, and was a four-time winner of the Canadian Open (1924–25, 1928–29); a record for that event. In 1925, Diegel outperformed over 100 competitors to win the Florida Open (billed as the "Greatest Field Of Golfers Ever to Play in Florida") at the Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club.
Diegel was selected for the first four Ryder Cup teams in 1927, 1929, 1931, and 1933. His greatest season was 1928, with wins at the Canadian Open and the match play PGA Championship, where he stopped the four-year winning streak of Walter Hagen. Diegel defeated him in the quarterfinal to avenge earlier defeats in the 1925 quarterfinal and the 1926 final.[5] Diegel achieved the rare feat of defending both titles successfully in 1929, this time defeating Hagen in the semifinals of the PGA. Diegel was a runner-up to Bobby Jones at the British Open in 1930.
Diegel was an excellent ball-striker, but struggled with his putting after joining the tour. After extensive experimentation, he eventually developed an unusual putting style where he pointed both elbows outwards; this was referred to as 'Diegeling'. He was a tour winner from 1920 to 1934, but dropped out of regular contention when he reached his mid-30s; a playful wrestling incident in Australia in late 1934 with friend Harry Cooper caused nerve damage to his right shoulder and effectively ended his tour career.[6]
Death
[edit]Diagnosed with throat and lung cancer in 1947, Diegel died at home in North Hollywood, California in 1951 at age 52;[1][7] he had taken a position there as a club professional after scaling back his Tour play. He was buried in Michigan at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.
Diegel was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.
Professional wins (36)
[edit]PGA Tour wins (28)
[edit]- 1920 (1) Pinehurst Fall Pro-Am Bestball (with Tommy Armour)
- 1921 (1) Coronado Beach Open
- 1922 (1) Shreveport Open
- 1923 (1) District of Columbia Open Championship
- 1924 (3) Shawnee Open, Canadian Open, Illinois Open
- 1925 (4) Florida Open, Canadian Open, Middle Atlantic Open, Mid South All Pro
- 1926 (1) Middle Atlantic Open
- 1927 (2) Middle Atlantic Open, San Diego Open
- 1928 (4) Long Beach Open (January; tie with Bill Mehlhorn), Canadian Open, PGA Championship, Massachusetts Open
- 1929 (4) San Diego Open, Miami International Four-Ball (with Walter Hagen), Canadian Open, PGA Championship
- 1930 (3) Pacific Southwest Pro, Oregon Open, San Francisco National Match Play Open
- 1933 (1) California Open
- 1934 (2) Rochester Open, New England PGA
Major championships are shown in bold.
Note: The PGA Tour[8] and World Golf Hall of Fame[9] list Diegel with 28 official wins. The PGA Tour book History of the PGA Tour lists 29 wins, and includes the 1925 Mid-Southern Amateur-Professional listed below.[10]
Other wins (8)
[edit]Note: This list may be incomplete.
- 1916 Michigan Open
- 1919 Michigan Open
- 1922 Louisiana Open
- 1925 Mid-Southern Amateur-Professional
- 1926 Maryland Open
- 1931 California Open
- 1933 Timber Point Open, Southern California Open
Major championships
[edit]Wins (2)
[edit]Year | Championship | Winning score | Runner-up |
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1928 | PGA Championship | 6 & 5 | Al Espinosa |
1929 | PGA Championship | 6 & 4 | Johnny Farrell |
Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
Results timeline
[edit]Tournament | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Open | T2 | T26 | 7 | T8 | T25 | 8 | T3 | T11 | T18 | T8 |
The Open Championship | T25 | 3 | ||||||||
PGA Championship | R32 | R32 | QF | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | NYF | T16 | T19 | |||||||
U.S. Open | T11 | 3 | 4 | T17 | T17 | CUT | ||||
The Open Championship | T2 | T3 | ||||||||
PGA Championship | R16 | R32 | R32 | R32 | DNQ | DNQ | R64 | R32 | R32 |
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
[edit]Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
PGA Championship | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
Totals | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 32 | 35 | 34 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 31 (1920 U.S. Open – 1935 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (twice)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Golfer Leo Diegel dies after lingering illness". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. May 9, 1951. p. 6-part 2.
- ^ "Another prize for golf pro". Florence Times. Alabama. February 22, 1934. p. 6.
- ^ Trenham, Peter C. "The Leaders and The Legends: 1930 to 1939" (PDF). PGA: Philadelphia Section. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ "Michigan, Births, 1867–1902". familysearch.org. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
- ^ "Local golfer wins from New Yorker". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. Associated Press. September 27, 1926. p. 8.
- ^ Rawles, Wallace N. (January 13, 1936). "Wrestling injury forces Leo Diegel to quit pro golf". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. INS. p. 9. Archived from the original on July 7, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "Leo Diegel dies of long illness". Miami Daily News. Associated Press. May 9, 1951. p. 13-A. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ^ "Most career wins (top 50)". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- ^ "World Golf Hall of Fame profile". Archived from the original on July 7, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ Barkow, Al (1989). The History of the PGA Tour. Doubleday. p. 276. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
External links
[edit]- Leo Diegel at the World Golf Hall of Fame
- USGA Museum – Leo Diegel and his Magic Wand Putter
- PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame – member profiles
- Leo Diegel at golf.about.com at the Wayback Machine (archived September 19, 2005)
- Leo Diegel at Find a Grave