1949 U.S. Amateur: Charles Coe wins at Oak Hill Country Club (East Course)
Charles Coe won the 1949 U.S. Amateur at Oak Hill Country Club (East Course) in Rochester, New York, beating Rufus King 11 & 10 in the final.
Updated October 22, 2026
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- Edition
- 49th
- Dates
- August 29, 1949 to September 3, 1949
- Course
- Oak Hill Country Club (East Course), Rochester, New York
- Format
- match play (sectional qualifying only)
- Champion
- Charles Coe · age 25 · United States
- Champion's title
- 1st U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Rufus King
- Final
- 11 & 10
- Losing semifinalists
- Willie Turnesa and William C. Campbell
- Defending champion
- Willie Turnesa · lost in semifinals
- Entries
- 1,060
What happened at the 1949 U.S. Amateur
Coe won the first five holes of the afternoon and closed out Rufus King 11 & 10 on the 26th hole; King won only the 3rd hole all day.
100-to-1 shot Rufus King knocked out defending champion Willie Turnesa 2 & 1 in the 36-hole semifinal.
Final, Charles Coe v. Rufus King, 11 & 10. Coe built a 5-up lead in the morning, opened the afternoon by winning the first five holes, hit a 250-yard second to five feet on the 533-yard 22nd; King, 9 down, had his ball roll into the creek on the 23rd and conceded the match on the 26th hole. King won only one hole all day (the 3rd).
Quarterfinal, Charles Coe v. Johnny Dawson, won on 21st hole. Coe needed 21 holes to beat 46-year-old Johnny Dawson the afternoon after a 19-hole win over Harvie Ward in the fifth round.
Round of 32, Jimmy McHale v. Skee Riegel, 3 & 2. McHale ousted 1947 champion and No. 1 favorite Skee Riegel, who had beaten Frank Stranahan 3 & 2 in the featured third-round match that morning.
Semifinal, Rufus King v. Willie Turnesa, 2 & 1. Pre-tournament 100-to-1 shot Rufus King, a Wichita Falls rancher, led the defending champion 2 up after the morning 18 and eliminated him 2 & 1.
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 16.
The final, 1949 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Coe | def. | Rufus King | 11 & 10 |
Semifinals, 1949 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rufus King | def. | Willie Turnesa | 2 & 1 |
| Charles Coe | def. | William C. Campbell | 8 & 7 |
Quarterfinals, 1949 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willie Turnesa | def. | Frank Strafaci | 3 & 2 |
| Rufus King | def. | Harold Paddock Jr. | 1 up |
| William C. Campbell | def. | Julius Boros | 1 up |
| Charles Coe | def. | Johnny Dawson | won on 21st hole |
Round of 16, 1949 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willie Turnesa | def. | Charles Dudley | 3 & 2 |
| Frank Strafaci | def. | Robert Fair | 3 & 2 |
| Harold Paddock Jr. | def. | Ray Weston Jr. | 2 & 1 |
| Rufus King | def. | H. MacGregor Hunter | 1 up |
| William C. Campbell | def. | Crawford Rainwater | 4 & 3 |
| Julius Boros | def. | Jimmy McHale | 4 & 2 |
| Charles Coe | def. | Harvie Ward | won on 19th hole |
| Johnny Dawson | def. | Fred Kammer Jr. | 2 & 1 |
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's U.S. Amateur data set (research collected through October 20, 2026). "unknown" means no source confirmed it; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the USGA's own record is used.
Data: us-amateur.json.