Maurice Bembridge obit

Golfer Maurice Bembridge Has Died 

He was not on the list.

Maurice Bembridge, an Honorary PGA Member who began his golfing career as an Assistant at Worksop Golf Club, played in four Ryder Cup matches, and won five times on the European Tour, has passed away at the age of 79.

Perhaps, however, his greatest claim to fame stemmed from his performance in a tournament he did not win – the 1974 Masters at Augusta.

Maurice began his fourth and final negotiation of the iconic venue on three-over and ended it on five-under after posting an eight-under par round of 64 to finish tied-ninth. In doing so, he equalled the course record then shared by Jack Nicklaus and Lloyd Mangrum and subsequently eclipsed by Nick Price and Greg Norman.

Two-under at the turn, he then put the National’s back nine that has proved the nemesis for countless challenges to claim the coveted Green Jacket to the sword. With his putter more than a match for the heat generated by the Georgia sunshine and the famed and feared Amen Corner, he took 30 strokes to complete a round that his 1969 Ryder Cup team-mate Peter Alliss rated as one of the finest in the game’s history.

Meanwhile, Nicklaus, who finished tied-fourth, three shots adrift of Gary Player, the champion, had been served notice of Maurice’s capabilities a handful of months earlier in the Ryder Cup at Muirfield.

The afternoon fourballs on day one saw Maurice and Brian Huggett defeat Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer 3&1. Then in the singles Nicklaus needed 36 holes to overcome Maurice after the pair had halved the morning session, the 18-times major champion winning the afternoon encounter two-up.

Maurice had turned professional 13 years earlier at the age of 15 when he began working as an Assistant at Worksop Golf Club in Nottinghamshire.

He delivered an appetiser of the on-course success to come by finishing runner up to Vince Hood in the Gor-Ray-sponsored PGA Assistants’ Championship at Harborne Golf Club, Birmingham, in 1966. Then, having moved to Little Aston, he went one better 12 months later by winning it at Coventry Golf Club.

Maurice followed up in April 1968 by claiming his first overseas title, the Kenya Open, and then recording what turned out to be his highest placing in the Open Championship when he finished fifth, four shots behind Player at Carnoustie.

Having successfully defended his Kenya Open crown, Maurice enjoyed his first major tournament victory on home soil in early September 1969 in defeating Dai Rees 6&5 in the final of the News of the World Match Play. The success proved an ideal confidence-boosting warm up for Maurice’s Ryder Cup debut a fortnight later in the famously tied encounter at Royal Birkdale.

Maurice won two and halved one of his five matches, the first victory achieved in the morning foursomes on day one in tandem with Bernard Gallacher when Lee Trevino and Ken Still were defeated 2&1.

He went on to play in the next three Ryder Cup matches, in 1971, 73, and 75. Prior to the 1971 encounter, he had claimed his first major stroke play tournament victory by finishing two shots clear of Peter Oosterhuis in the Dunlop Masters.

Maurice won the Martin International 12 months later and his most successful season coincided with the formation of the European Tour in 1974 with victories in three tournaments: the Piccadilly Medal, Double Diamond Strokeplay, and Viyella PGA Championship. Maurice won the German Open in the following year and his fifth and final success on the European Tour came in the 1979 Benson & Hedges International Open.

Maurice continued to compete on the European Tour for another eight seasons and having moved to Switzerland, represented Ostschweizerischer Golf Club from 1990 – 2000.

He was made a PGA Honorary Member in 1994 and, on turning 50 the following year, joined the European Senior Tour.

He went on to win two tournaments, the Hippo Jersey Seniors in 1996 and Swedish Seniors two years later. He was also runner-up in the 2001 De Vere PGA Seniors Championship, was a member of the European Senior Tour committee for nine years and served as chairman from 2007 – 2011.

Despite living in Switzerland, Maurice regularly made the journey to the UK to play in the PGA Super 60s Championship. His final appearance in the event was as recent as 2018 at Wollaton Park, Nottingham, and PGA chief executive Robert Maxfield said: “Maurice enjoyed playing in the event and it was always good to see him.

"Furthermore, that he took the trouble to make the long journey to play in it, was testament to his love for the game and ongoing support for the Association. Despite all the success he achieved, Maurice never forgot his PGA roots. He will be greatly missed.”