Fred Ridley

Fred Scobie Ridleyis an American amateur golfer and golf administrator who won the U.S. Amateur in 1975, was elected president of the United States Golf Association (USGA) in 2004, and then became chairman of Augusta National Golf Club in 2017.

Amateur career

Ridley attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. While attending the university, he played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team and was an alternate on the Gators golf team that won the NCAA national tournament in 1973. He graduated from the University of Florida's College of Business Administration with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1974.

In 1975, Ridley won the U.S. Amateur, the preeminent amateur golf tournament in the United States, on the James River Course of the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. He defeated Keith Fergus in the 36-hole final, having beaten Curtis Strange and Andy Bean in previous rounds of the match-play championship. At the end of 1975 Ridley was ranked the #2 amateur in the country by Golf Digest.

In 1976 he won the Monroe Invitational. He also competed in the 1976 British Open later in the year. Ridley was a member of the 1976 Eisenhower Trophy team. Late in the year he was ranked the #10 amateur in the country by Golf Digest.

In 1977 he competed in the British Amateur. In the 1977 Walker Cup, he won two singles matches (both against Sandy Lyle) and lost his foursomes match.

Between 1974 and 1977 Ridley was a law student. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law in 1977.