Robert Henry "Skee" Riegel (November 25, 1914 – February 22, 2009) was an American professional golfer.
Early life Riegel was born in 1914 in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania and grew up in Upper Darby. 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. During World War II, he was a flying instructor for the US Army Air Corp in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Amateur career 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.
Riegel was the low amateur (T13) in the 1948 Masters Tournament.
Professional career In 1950, Riegel turned professional. He 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 also 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 from 1954 to 1961 and then became involved in the ownership of York Road Country Club in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Riegel was the pro emeritus at the Cape May National Golf Club in Cape May, New Jersey. 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 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 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 Amateur wins (1) YearChampionshipWinning scoreRunner-up 1947 U.S. Amateur 2 & 1 Johnny Dawson
Results timeline Amateur Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949Masters TournamentNTNTNTT50T13 LAT30U.S. OpenNTNTNTNTCUTT59CUTT14 LAU.S. AmateurR64R16NTNTNTNTR32 M1R64R32The Amateur ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNTNTR16
Professional Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959Masters TournamentT212T14T29T38T13T40T31U.S. OpenT12T10CUTT42T40CUTCUTCUTPGA ChampionshipR64R32R32T40CUT Tournament1960196119621963196419651966196719681969Masters TournamentU.S. OpenCUT48CUTCUTPGA ChampionshipCUTT63CUTT51 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,www.masters.com U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur,USGA Championship Database PGA Championship,PGA Championship Media Guide 1947 British Amateur
U.S. national team appearances Amateur Walker Cup: 1947 (winners), 1949 (winners)
References
External links Biography