Looking back on the amateur career of Fred Ridley

April 8, 2022 | by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com

Fred Ridley (Credit: Getty)

The chairman of Augusta National Golf Club played in three Masters and won 1975 U.S. Amateur, all while earning his law degree

On Sunday afternoon, Fred Ridley the current Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, will oversee the jacket ceremony in Butler Cabin.

Before he became Augusta National's Chairman in 2017, Ridley was the USGA President and also an excellent amateur golfer.

Namely, Ridley won the 1975 U.S. Amateur championship at the Country Club of Virginia where he defeated the likes of Curtis Strange and Andy Bean en route to the title.

Ridley played his college golf at University of Florida, where he was a member of the 1973 national championship-winning team. In 1976, Ridley won the Monroe Invitational and traveled to England to compete in the 1976 British Amateur at Royal Birkdale and the 1977 version at Ganton Golf Club.

He also represented the United States in the 1977 Walker Cup where he defeated future Masters champion Sandy Lyle twice. Ridley captained the 1987 and 1989 Walker Cup teams.

While competing in all those events, Ridley was pursuing a law degree at Stetson University from 1974-1977.

The Masters has a deep connection to amateur golf, and Ridley was the last U.S. Amateur champion that didn't turn professional.

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