They say that statistics are there to be broken and records to be surpassed, however, there are some records that are unreachable. No matter how hard we try, there are bars that can never be cleared. In golf, there are some. Today we are going to refer to one of them. The protagonist is called Charles Coe and he was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, in 1923.
You might think that no one will surpass the record of 18 Majors set by Jack Nicklaus. Indeed, as of today, it seems a very difficult mark to beat. Tiger Woods came the closest, but he stopped at 15, and the reality is that it seems impossible for him to win three or four more to match or surpass that record. In any case, it is debatable. Some might think that Scottie Scheffler could reach that figure or even some player who is just starting now or has not yet been born. In short, there can be a legitimate debate.
Where there is no doubt is with Charles Coe. Like Bobby Jones, Coe decided to develop his entire golfing career as an amateur. He never had the need or desire to turn professional. His explanation, then, is that he always grew up with the idea that golf was a gentleman’s sport, where you didn’t play for money. How things have changed, dear Coe. His wife also had something to do with it: “if you think I was going to raise three children with a suitcase in hand, you’re crazy.”
Well, as an amateur he was one of the most outstanding players in the United States. He won the US Amateur twice (1949 and 1958) and finished second another time, losing the final to Jack Nicklaus, and was also second in one of his two participations in the British Amateur, back in 1951. He fell to Dick Chapman.
However, none of this has to do with the reason for bringing his name to these lines. In fact, the record he set and that will be unsurpassable happened at the Masters Tournament. Coe played it 19 times and was the best amateur of the tournament six times. This is the record that will never be broken in history. There are hardly any players who remain amateurs for so long and, above all, who manage to qualify so many times to play the Masters. Times have changed.
Charles Coe was the best amateur at the Masters in 1949, 1951, 1959, 1961, 1962, and 1970. In 1961, in fact, he came close to victory. He started the final day six shots behind Gary Player and finished one behind, in second place tied with Arnold Palmer. Major words.
Coe never turned professional, but he was very successful in business. He was an oil magnate and one of the most influential men in amateur golf in the United States. He participated in seven Walker Cup, one of them as a non-playing captain, and won all seven. He also won the Eisenhower Trophy in 1958. Additionally, he served as a pilot in World War II. He died in 2001 at the age of 77.
Many things will happen in golf, but Coe’s record is there forever.
