Justin Riegel dies in on-course accident

PGA Pro Justin Riegel dies
Justin Riegel

PGA TOUR pro Justin Riegel, 38 years old, was killed in a terrible accident on Wednesday early noon. A horrific rain followed by thunderstorms made everyone search for safety. Riegel was assisting his colleagues in the rain to move carts into the Philmont Country Club’s pro shop, where he worked when high winds caused a tree to fall directly on the barn where Justin Riegel was present.

 “The storm blew in, and everyone was rushing in, and before we knew it, a tree fell,” Philmont employee Kelli Patrick told Newsmen. Another eye witness commented, “The tree came down onto the building, then most of the building came down on the golf cart area where this gentleman was at,” Scholly Jr. said.

Riegel’s previous carrier was at Aronimink G.C and Gulph Mills G.C, where he worked as the assistant pro. After some time, he earned his first PGA head professional position at French Creek G.C.The golf professional joined Philmont in 2019, was head pro, and was recently promoted to the director of the Philmont Country in January 2020.

Riegel’s girlfriend, Kate Hannon, will be having their first child in just two weeks. Making the accident even more tragic, Riegel will not be able to meet his unborn child.

“He was that guy who would call to see how you’re doing and make sure everything was great in your life. Justin was so excited when he told me that Kate was pregnant, and they were having a baby.” A comment made by Bryan Kienke, one of Riegel’s friends and former Philadelphia Section PGA colleagues.

Although, there is no timeline set in place yet for the funeral arrangement. A GoFundMe page was created to help support Riegel’s family. The fundraiser whose goal is to raise an amount of $300,000, and already has nearly met the goal with a current amount of $250,000.

Also Read: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka at Colonial