Get to know former Gator Fred Ridley

The 2022 Masters is set to begin Thursday at the Augusta National. Get to know the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club Fred Ridley.

Ridley is a former Gator. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1974. Ridley won the NCAA national tournament while on the Florida Gators’ golf team. He went on to receive his law degree from Stetson University. 

Ridley has a long history in the sport. He is the first chairman to have played in the Masters, three times. Fresh from graduating from UF he won the U.S Amateur in 1975. Ridley won the Monroe Invitational in 1976. He played in the British Open and was a member of the Eisenhower Trophy team. In 1977 he played in the Britsh Amateur and the Walker Cup.

After Ridley’s time playing golf ended he continued to be in the sport in other ways. He was a non-playing Walker Cup captain twice. In 2004, he became the president of the United States Golf Association. Ridley was awarded the PGA of America’s Distinguished Service Award in 2006.

On his first day as Augusta National's new chairman, Fred Ridley laid out his vision for the future of the Masters: https://t.co/s611E4dJi8 pic.twitter.com/SqcIn8vcxX

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) October 16, 2017

In 2017, Billy Payne announced his retirement of being the chairman and picked Fred Ridley to be his successor. After a year of being the chairman in 2018, Ridley announced the start of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Which Gator Annabell Fuller recently competed in for the third time. 

The Masters will be held from April 7 to April 10. This will be Ridley’s sixth Masters Tournament as the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club.