In 2020, J. Stuart (“Stu”) Francis became the 66th president of the USGA. When he was introduced by his predecessor, Mark Newell said, “that in addition to his exemplary service to the USGA, Stu can hit the center of the club face.”
In 2017, Fred Ridley became the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club. He had been the 58th USGA president and another one who could find the center of the clubface more often than not.
A few days before the start of the 1974 U.S. Amateur Championship they formed a lasting friendship when they played a practice round together at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, site of this year’s amateur.
Francis was born and raised in Madison, Ohio. After marrying, he lived in New York City for a few years before moving to the San Francisco Bay area in 1980. But prior to embarking on a career as an investment banker (he is currently the senior managing director of Evercore, an advisory firm specializing in technology) Francis attended Princeton University and was captain of a golf team that won two Ivy League Championships. In 1973, Francis was selected as a first team All-Ivy and Division I All-American honorable mention. He played in the NCAA Championship in 1973 and 1974, and finished third in the 1975 Ohio Amateur Championship.
He also qualified and played in three U.S. Amateurs (1974, 1975 and 1978) and three Canadian National Amateurs, has won 15 club championships and is an inductee into the Ohio Golf Association Hall of Fame.
Calling it a “big thrill” Francis remembered Bill Campbell coming over to introduce himself “to the other Princeton golfer” in the field at Ridgewood in 1974. He also received a bunker lesson from Fred Van Bargen, a standout golfer from Penn State, that he still uses to this day. “In hitting the shot, think about a knife cutting butter on an angle,” said Francis.
Francis also had a casual relationship with Byron Nelson who was a friend of a neighbor. They played together several times and, at a tournament in Ohio, Nelson watched Stu, much to the amazement of his playing partners.
The tee gift from the 1974 Amateur was a small plate Francis displays proudly in his home office. Or, as Francis says, “There is nothing like championship golf.”
Meanwhile, Ridley was a native Floridian, born in Lakeland. He was an alternate on the University of Florida golf team that won the NCAA Championship in 1973 with players such as Andy Bean, Gary Koch, and Steve Smyers. Ridley graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1974 and, having seen the best players in the game at the time, decided his fortunes were best served going to law school.
Ridley doesn’t remember much about the practice round he played with Francis at Ridgewood. But great success followed that 1974 Amateur. In 1975 he won the U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond where he defeated Keith Fergus in the final, after dispensing of Curtis Strange and his former Florida teammate Andy Bean in previous rounds. At the end of 1975 he was the second-ranked amateur in the country.
In 1976 he won the Monroe Invitational, competed in the 1976 British Open and was a member of the 1976 Eisenhower Trophy team. In 1977 he competed in the British Amateur and played in the 1977 Walker Cup where he won two singles matches against Sandy Lyle.
That kind of amateur record would normally launch a professional career. But Ridley recalls vividly the moment he realized remaining an amateur was the right decision. It was during the first round of the 1976 Masters. In keeping with tradition, he, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, was paired with defending Masters champion Jack Nicklaus. Ridley held his own early on, but when they exchanged handshakes on the 18th green, Nicklaus had shot 5-under-par 67 and Ridley a 5-over 77.
“I kind of had an inkling when I was a young guy, as a teenager, that I probably was not going to be a golf professional,” he said. “I did read a lot about Bobby Jones. What struck me even more than his amazing playing record was the way he lived his life and the integrity, character and sportsmanship associated with his persona. That was very inspiring to me.”
It was a solitary practice round. Neither Ridley nor Francis remembers a shot the other hit that day. But the friendship forged that afternoon at Ridgewood has lasted almost half a century.
As Ridley’s law career flourished, so did his standing in amateur golf. He served as captain of the 1987 and 1989 Walker Cup teams and the 2010 U.S. World Amateur Team.
“All roads at Augusta National eventually lead back to the legacy created by Jones and Clifford Roberts,” Ridley said. “They are the ones who established the mandate of constant improvement, which is going to drive me and my goals as chairman of the club. I feel that if I follow that mandate, I’ll be in a position when my time is over to pass this honor on to my successor even stronger than it is today.
“That’s my goal, and that’s what I think Mr. Jones and Mr. Roberts would expect.”
It was a solitary practice round. Neither Ridley nor Francis remembers a shot the other hit that day. But the friendship forged that afternoon at Ridgewood has lasted almost half a century as two titans have left indelible marks on the game.