Skee Riegel
| Skee Riegel | |
|---|---|
 Riegel at the 1951 Masters Tournament | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Robert Henry Riegel |
| Nickname | Skee |
| Born | November 25, 1914 New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 22, 2009 (aged 94) West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | West Point Hobart College Lafayette College |
| Turned professional | 1950 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 7 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | 2nd: 1951 |
| PGA Championship | T17: 1956, 1957 |
| U.S. Open | T10: 1951 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Robert Henry "Skee" Riegel (November 25, 1914 – February 22, 2009[1]) was an American professional golfer.
Early life
[edit]Riegel was born in 1914 in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania and grew up in Upper Darby.[2] He attended West Point, Hobart College, and Lafayette College where he played football and baseball, but not golf. He took up golf at the age of 23.[1] During World War II, he was a flying instructor for the US Army Air Corp in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Career
[edit]Riegel won the 1947 U.S. Amateur over Johnny Dawson at the Pebble Beach Golf Links, 2 and 1. He played on the Walker Cup teams of 1947 and 1949 under captain as Francis Ouimet. He went undefeated in his four Walker Cup matches.[1]
Riegel was the low amateur (T13) in the 1948 Masters Tournament.
Riegel turned professional in 1950 and played in 11 straight Masters Tournaments from 1947 to 1957. In the 1951 Masters Tournament, he was tied with Sam Snead after three rounds and finished second to Ben Hogan by two strokes.
Riegel finished second to Ted Kroll in the 1952 Insurance City Open.
Riegel stopped playing full-time in 1953. He served as head pro at Radnor Valley Country Club[3] from 1954 to 1961 and then became involved in the ownership of York Road Country Club in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[4]
Riegel was the pro emeritus at the Cape May National Golf Club in Cape May, New Jersey.[3] He was often found walking the grounds with his poodle John Paul. Cape May National holds a large amount of history, with a number of articles about Riegel on the walls of its clubhouse, as well as a number of plaques located on the 18th tee.
Amateur wins
[edit]- 1942 Florida State Amateur
- 1943 Southern Oregon Amateur
- 1946 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
- 1947 Monroe Invitational, U.S. Amateur
- 1948 Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Western Amateur
Professional wins
[edit]this list may be incomplete
- 1957 Pennsylvania Open Championship
- 1959 Pennsylvania Open Championship, Yorktown Open
- 1960 Philadelphia Open Championship, Genesee (Genny) Open
- 1967 Salsbury Open
- 1968 Salsbury Open
Major championships
[edit]Amateur wins (1)
[edit]| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | U.S. Amateur | 2 & 1 |  Johnny Dawson
|
Results timeline
[edit]Amateur
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NT | NT | NT | T50 | T13 LA | T30 | ||||
| U.S. Open | NT | NT | NT | NT | CUT | T59 | CUT | T14 LA | ||
| U.S. Amateur | R64 | R16 | NT | NT | NT | NT | R32 M | 1 | R64 | R32 |
| The Amateur Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | R16 |
Professional
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T21 | 2 | T14 | T29 | T38 | T13 | T40 | T31 | ||
| U.S. Open | T12 | T10 | CUT | T42 | T40 | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | R64 | R32 | R32 | T40 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | 48 | CUT | CUT | ||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T63 | CUT | T51 |
Note: Riegel never played in The Open Championship.
M = medalist
LA = low amateur
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1962 PGA Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in match play
Sources: Masters,[5] U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur,[6] PGA Championship,[7] 1947 British Amateur[8]
U.S. national team appearances
[edit]Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1947 (winners), 1949 (winners)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Klavon, Ken (February 24, 2009). "Skee Riegel, 1947 U.S. Amateur Champion, Dies At 94". USGA. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009.
- ^ Lentz, Bob (February 26, 2002). "Riegel relishes amateur golf's heyday". Golfweek.
- ^ a b Naedele, Walter F. (February 26, 2009). "Robert Riegel, 94, golf champion". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "Highlights of Robert H. "Skee" Riegel's Career". Archived from the original on July 24, 2008.
- ^ www.masters.com
- ^ USGA Championship Database Archived 2010-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ PGA Championship Media Guide Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Four Scots In Last Eight". Glasgow Herald. May 30, 1947. p. 5.
External links
[edit]- American male golfers
- Golfers from Pennsylvania
- United States Military Academy alumni
- Military personnel from Pennsylvania
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges alumni
- Lafayette Leopards baseball players
- Lafayette Leopards football players
- Players of American football from Pennsylvania
- People from Perry County, Pennsylvania
- 1914 births
- 2009 deaths
- 20th-century American sportsmen