Charles Coe

Charles Robert "Charlie" Coe (October 26, 1923 – May 16, 2001) was an American golfer who is considered by many to be one of the greatest amateur golfers in history.^[1] A two-time U.S. Amateur winner, Coe never turned professional, instead choosing to spend time with his wife and family.

Born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, Coe served as a pilot during World War II,^[2] and later attended the University of Oklahoma from 1946-48. He won the Big Seven Conference championship all three years.^[3]

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 (1947, 1949, 1952, and 1956). He played on six Walker Cup teams from 1949 to 1963, including playing captain on the 1959 team, and was non-playing captain on a seventh team in 1957.

Coe made 19 Masters appearances and owns almost every Masters amateur record, including most cuts made (15); top-24 finishes (9); top-10 finishes (3); eagles (6), rounds played (67) and most times low amateur (6).^[4] 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 (2nd in 1961), lowest third round score (67 in 1959), and lowest 72-hole score (281 in 1961).^[5] In 1961, Coe rallied in the final round from six shots down to finish one stroke behind Gary Player.

In 1964, Coe received the Bob Jones Award, given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

Coe was posthumously named an honoree at the 2006 Memorial Tournament. 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 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

Major championships

Amateur wins (2)

Year	Championship	Winning Score	Runner-up
1949	U.S. Amateur	11 & 10	Rufus King
1958	U.S. Amateur	5 & 4	Tommy Aaron

Results timeline

Tournament	1947	1948	1949
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	T16 LA
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Amateur	R128	SF	1
British Amateur	DNP	DNP	DNP

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

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
Masters Tournament	T39	T2 LA	T9 LA	T37	CUT	CUT	T50	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Amateur	R64	R64	R256	SF	DNP	-	-	-	-	-
British Amateur	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

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

Note: Coe never played in the British Open or the PGA Championship.

LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Source for The Masters: www.masters.com

Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database

Source for 1959 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1959, pg. 9.

References

1. ^ http://www.snponline.com/special_sections/Memorial_5-24-06/5-24_tabmemhonorees.htm
2. ^ Coe, Charles R. Obituary
3. ^ "Former U.S. Amateur champ Coe dies at 77". CNN. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/golf/news/2001/05/17/coe_obit_ap/. 
4. ^ SoonerSports.com. Coe Golf Center. University of Oklahoma. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
5. ^ "Masters Golf Tournament Records". Archived from the original on 2006-10-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20061022133510/http://www.i-sportsbook.com/golf/masters-golf-tournaments-records.html. 

External links

• Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame profile
• Article on Coe at the Masters
• Charlie Coe Golf Learning Center at the University of Oklahoma
• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Coe, Charles

Persondata
Name	Coe, Charles
Alternative names	Coe, Charles Robert; Coe, Charlie
Short description	Amateur golfer
Date of birth	October 26, 1923
Place of birth	Ardmore, Oklahoma
Date of death	May 16, 2001
Place of death