Leo Diegel

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox golfer 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.<ref name=ldrleg>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early lifeEdit

Born in Gratiot Township, Wayne County, Michigan,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Diegel began caddying at age ten<ref name=lddali/> and won his first significant event at age 17, the 1916 Michigan Open.

Professional careerEdit

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.<ref name=lgwfnyr>Template:Cite news</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 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.<ref name=winjfld>Template:Cite news</ref>

DeathEdit

Diagnosed with throat and lung cancer in 1947, Diegel died at home in North Hollywood, California in 1951 at age 52;<ref name=lddali/><ref name=lddoli>Template:Cite news</ref> he had taken a position there as a club professional after scaling back his Tour play. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards and honorsEdit

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<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and World Golf Hall of Fame<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</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>Template:Cite book</ref>

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 championshipsEdit

Wins (2)Edit

Year	Championship	Winning score	Runner-up
1928	PGA Championship	6 & 5	Template:Flagicon Al Espinosa
1929	PGA Championship	6 & 4	Template:Flagicon Johnny Farrell

Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958

Results timelineEdit

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

Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend 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

SummaryEdit

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)

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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