Skee Riegel


Robert Henry "Skee" Riegel 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 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

Professional wins

this list may be incomplete

Major championships

Results timeline

Amateur
Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
Masters TournamentNTNTNTT50T13 LAT30
U.S. OpenNTNTNTNTCUTT59CUTT14 LA
U.S. AmateurR64R16NTNTNTNTR32 M1R64R32
The Amateur ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNTNTR16

Professional
Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
Masters TournamentT212T14T29T38T13T40T31
U.S. OpenT12T10CUTT42T40CUTCUTCUT
PGA ChampionshipR64R32R32T40CUT

Note: Riegel never played in The Open Championship.

M = medalist

LA = low amateur

NT = no tournament

CUT = missed the half-way cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in match play
Sources: Masters, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, PGA Championship, 1947 British Amateur

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur