Leo Diegel
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Leo Harvey Diegel (April 27, 1899 - May 5, 1951) was a prominent U.S. golfer of the 1920s and early 1930s. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. Diegel who won 29 PGA circuit events, and was a four-time winner of the Canadian Open (1924-25, 1928-29). Selected for the inaugural 1927 Ryder Cup team and went on to play on the 1929, 1931 and 1933 teams as well. Diegel's great year was 1928 when he won the Canadian Open and, in winning the 1928 PGA Championship, stopped the four-year winning streak of Walter Hagen (defeating him in the quarter-final to avenge defeats by Hagen in the 1925 quarter-finals and the 1926 final). Diegel achieved the rare double of defending both titles successfully in 1929, this time defeating Hagen in the semi-finals and finishing off The Haig's career. Diegel was runner-up to Bobby Jones at the British Open in 1930, but subsequently did not challenge at any major championships. He died in North Hollywood, California. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.
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[edit] PGA Tour wins (29)
- 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 (5) Florida Open, Canadian Open, Middle Atlantic Open, Mid-Southern Amateur-Professional, Mid South All Pro
- 1926 (1) Middle Atlantic Open
- 1927 (2) Middle Atlantic Open, San Diego Open
- 1928 (4) Long Beach Open (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) Oregon Open, San Francisco Open-Match Play, Pacific Southwest Pro
- 1933 (1) California Open
- 1934 (2) Rochester Open, New England PGA
Major championships are shown in bold.
[edit] Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF |
| U.S. Open | T2 | T26 | 7 | T8 | T25 | 8 | T3 | T11 | T18 | T8 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | F? | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 3 |
| PGA Championship | T17 | DNP | DNP | DNP | T17 | T5 | 2 | DNP | 1 | 1 |
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | T16 | T19 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T11 | 3 | 4 | T17 | T17 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T2 | DNP | DNP | T3 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T9 | T17 | DNP | T17 | T17 | DNP | DNP | T33 | T17 | T17 |
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
F? = Finish unknown
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
