Who is Fred Ridley?

You’ll see plenty of him during coverage of the Masters – particularly when handing over the Green Jacket on Sunday evening. But who is Fred Ridley and what is his role at Augusta National?

Who is Fred Ridley?

He is the current chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, host venue of the Masters. Every April, the eyes of the sporting world fall on the iconic course as the best male players in the world battle it out for the green jacket. 

It is a golf tournament unlike any other and one that transcends the game more than most.

While not a player, Ridley is a key figure in proceedings. Among his duties, Ridley announces the honorary starters onto the first tee on Thursday morning for a ceremony that signifies the official start of the tournament.

He is also present in the Butler Cabin for the awarding of the green jacket to the tournament winner and then again at the trophy presentation in front of members, patrons and the world’s media. 

Ridley, whose middle name is Scobie, was born on August 16, 1952 in Lakeland, Florida and attended Winter Haven High School.

He attended the University of Florida, where he played on the Florida Gators men’s golf team and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1974.

Believe it or not, Ridley enjoyed a stellar amateur career. He beat Curtis Strange and Andy Bean en route to winning the 1975 US Amateur and competed in three of the four modern men’s majors.

He missed the cut at the 1976, 1977 and 1978 Masters tournaments, and also failed to make the weekend at the 1976 US Open and 1976 Open.

Despite being an extinguished player, Ridley opted never to join the professional ranks, but he was never far away from the game.

He still teed it up in some of the biggest amateur events and captained the US sides of the 1987 and 1989 Walker Cups, as well as the 2010 Eisenhower Trophy.

Ridley was elected president of the USGA for 2004-05 and has served on the boards of some of golf’s most distinguished committees.

On August 23, 2017, it was announced he would succeed Billy Payne as chairman of Augusta and he assumed his new role when the club reopened for the 2017/18 season.

On a personal level, Ridley is married to Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Herndon, whom he has three daughters with. 

During his time in the Augusta National hotseat, Ridley has overseen the creation of the hugely popular Augusta National Women’s Amateur and has been vocal in his support of the golf ball rollback.