Charles Coe

Charles Robert Coe was an American amateur golfer who is considered by many to be one of the greatest American amateurs in history.

Early life

Born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, Coe served as a pilot during World War II, and later attended the University of Oklahoma from 1946 to 1948. He won the Big Seven Conference championship all three years. He was a member of the Gamma Phi chapter of Beta Theta Pi.

Golf career

Coe did not turn professional. He later stated, "When I was growing up, golf was a gentleman's game." In addition, his wife did not think Coe's potential career as a touring professional was amenable for family life. "If I thought I was going to raise three children out of a suitcase, I was crazy," she later said. For his career, Coe worked in the oil business.
Coe won the U.S. Amateur in 1949, beating Rufus King 11 & 10 in the finals, and won it again in 1958 with a 5 & 4 victory over Tommy Aaron. He finished runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in the 1959 tournament. Coe won the Western Amateur in 1950, and made the finals of the British Amateur in 1951, losing to Dick Chapman. He won four Trans-Mississippi Amateurs, in 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1956. He played on six Walker Cup teams from 1949 to 1963, including as playing captain on the 1959 team, and was non-playing captain on a seventh team in 1957.
Coe made 19 Masters Tournament appearances and owns almost every Masters amateur record, including most cuts made ; top-25 finishes ; top-10 finishes ; eagles, rounds played and most times low amateur. Coe won low amateur honors at Augusta in four consecutive decades: 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He also holds the amateur records for best finish, lowest third round score, and lowest 72-hole score. In 1961, Coe rallied in the final round from six shots down to finish one stroke behind Gary Player.

Personal life

Coe was married to Elizabeth. They had three children.

Death and legacy

Coe died in his sleep on May 16, 2001, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. When he died, the Rocky Mountain News quoted a Castle Pines golf club member saying, "Charlie Coe was an amateur at everything except life."
The Charlie Coe Golf Center at the University of Oklahoma was named after him. In addition, five years after his death Jack Nicklaus named him an honoree at his Memorial Tournament.

Award and honors

In 1964, Coe received the Bob Jones Award, given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
In 1987, Coe was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2006, Coe was posthumously named an honoree at the Memorial Tournament.
The Charlie Coe Golf Center at the University of Oklahoma is named in his honor.
Amateur wins (7)

this list is probably incomplete

1947 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
1949 U.S. Amateur, Trans-Mississippi Amateur
1950 Western Amateur
1952 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
1956 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
1958 U.S. Amateur
1963 Mt. Vernon Classic
Major championships

Amateur wins (2)

Results timeline

Tournament	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Masters Tournament	T32	T12 LA	T46	T16	T20	T32		DQ	T23	6 LA
U.S. Open									T13 LA	T38
U.S. Amateur	R32	QF	R16	R64	R256	R256	R16	R32	1	2
British Amateur		2								R64

Tournament	1970	1971
Masters Tournament	T23 LA	CUT
U.S. Open

Note: Coe never played in The Open Championship nor the PGA Championship.
LA = Low amateur
DQ = disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Source for The Masters:
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur:
Source for 1959 British Amateur:

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Walker Cup: 1949, 1951, 1953, 1957 1959, 1961, 1963
Eisenhower Trophy: 1958
Americas Cup: 1952, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963