Robert Henry "Skee" Riegel (November 25, 1914 – February 22, 2009) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

Early life

Riegel was born in 1914 in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania and grew up in

Upper Darby Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a home rule township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the township had a total population of 85,681, making it the state's sixth-most populated mun ...

. He attended

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, Hobart College, and

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

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 Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,380. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Hender ...

Career

Riegel won the 1947

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

over Johnny Dawson at the

Pebble Beach Golf Links Pebble Beach Golf Links is a public golf course located in Pebble Beach, California, U.S. Opened in 1919, it is regarded as one of the most beautiful courses in the world. It hugs the rugged coastline and has wide open views of Carmel Bay, o ...

, 2 and 1. He played on the

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...

teams of 1947 and 1949 under captain as

Francis Ouimet Francis DeSales Ouimet () (May 8, 1893 – September 2, 1967) was an American amateur golfer who is frequently referred to as the "father of amateur golf" in the United States. He won the U.S. Open (golf), U.S. Open in 1913 U.S. Open (golf), 1 ...

. He went undefeated in his four Walker Cup matches. Riegel was the low amateur (T13) in the

1948 Masters Tournament The 1948 Masters Tournament was the 12th Masters Tournament, held April 8–11 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Tournament summary Claude Harmon shot a record-tying 279 (−9) and finished five strokes ahead of runner-up Cary ...

. Riegel turned professional in 1950 and played in 11 straight

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...

s from 1947 to 1957. In the 1951 Masters Tournament, he was tied with

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (; May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for the better part of four decades (having won PGA of America and Senior PGA Tour events over six decades) an ...

after three rounds and finished second to

Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory, hi ...

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 Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...

. Riegel was the pro emeritus at the Cape May National Golf Club in

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May (sometimes Cape May City) is a City (New Jersey), city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Atlantic Ocean ...

. 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,

*1948 Trans-Mississippi Amateur,

Western Amateur The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association. The Western Amateur features an international field of top-ranked amateur golfers. It was firs ...

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)

Results timeline

Amateur Professional ''Note: Riegel never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

.''
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 *

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

(winners),

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

(winners)

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riegel, Skee 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