# Skee Riegel

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.

## 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.
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 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)

| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
| 1947 | U.S. Amateur | 2 & 1 | Johnny Dawson |

### Results timeline

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 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1966 | 1967 | 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, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, PGA Championship, 1947 British Amateur

## U.S. national team appearances

Amateur
* Walker Cup: 1947 (winners), 1949 (winners)