4-time Team Europe Ryder Cup participant Maurice Bembridge dies aged 79

Former European Ryder Cup standout Maurice Bembridge has passed away at the age of 79. The golfer was known for a few record-setting performances and his run with the European side. The cause of his death has not yet been confirmed.

Little Aston Golf Club said on X (formerly Twitter):

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Maurice Bembridge, a past playing-professional at Little Aston. A four time Ryder Cup player who in 1974 shot the course record at Augusta National, equalling Nicklaus’s 64. Our thoughts are with his family."

Bembridge was an iconic player for the European Tour, having earned 12 of his 20 professional wins on it. He also had wins on the European Senior Tour as he continued playing through what would normally be retirement age for athletes.

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Maurice Bembridge had an impressive career

Maurice Bembridge made his Ryder Cup debut in 1969 in the now-infamous match which ended in a tie. The golfer did his best to get his side a victory, winning two and a half of his five matches. He did so well that he went on to play in the next three Ryder Cups, in 1971, 1973, and 1975, making him a key and consistent player for them during that time.

The European Tour was first formed in 1972, and he was an early member of it. Bembridge would go on to do quite well there, earning his first victory at the 1973 Martini International. He had an impressive season in 1974 in which he won the Piccadilly Medal, the Double Diamond Strokeplay, and the Viyella PGA Championship.

Maurice Bembridge's European Ryder Cup team from 1973

In 1975, he won the German Open and his final professional victory came in the 1979 Benson & Hedges International Open. He participated in two major tournaments, placing in the top 10 of the 1974 Masters and the 1968 Open Championship.

His Masters performance was iconic for several reasons. He was, for a very long time, a record holder at Augusta after shooting an impressive 64. Part of that entailed fighting off a snake.

Bembridge said in 2020 via Bunkered:

“I walked up there and my caddie, Pappy, who had been at the club forever and a day was 50 metres away in the trees. He said in his deep Georgian accent, ‘He’s going to get you, he’s going to kill you!’ I had a plane to catch so I got the longest club, which was a Slazenger blade two-iron, and came up from behind and bopped him on top of the head. He wriggled about a bit and I caught him on the end of the club and tossed him into Rae’s Creek."

The golfer then calmly went back to golfing and managed to shoot well immediately after, though it ultimately wasn't quite enough. He finished T9 that year, as Gary Player shot 10 under to win $35,0000.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bembridge family during this difficult time.