Harold's Homicide

The 26-man contingent of U.S. golfers entered in the British Amateur championship was one of the weakest in years, and U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Harold Ridgley was considered one of the weakest of the lot. Hardly anyone noticed the grim, taciturn noncom as he plodded around Lancashire's seaside Formby links. But when all his countrymen were gone, Ridgley was still in the running. When he finished the semifinal round last week, just about every spectator on the course was ready to concede him the title.

Once, 22 years ago, Master Sergeant Ridgley, 43, got to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Amateur. He has a couple of Air Force titles and some minor British tournaments to his credit as well. But never anything like that fine semifinal at Formby. With his crisp, choppy swing, the ex-tailgunner demoralized South Africa's Arthur Walker, 13 and 12. British championship golf had not known such a bad beating since Lawson Little won the Amateur title from James Wallace at Prestwick, 14 and 13, in 1934.

After that, though, the sergeant was shot. In the final round he played well, but he could not keep pace with Scotland's Reid Jack, 33. Sergeant Ridgley went around the first 18 in par (72). Jack, onetime British Marine commando lieutenant, countered with 69. But the crowd was still with Ridgley, and a spectator tried to help the sergeant by grinding Jack's golf ball into the sun-baked turf. Ridgley was too tired to care. Although the 1957 British Amateur will be remembered for the semifinal known as "Harold's Homicide," Harold Ridgley lost the title to Reid Jack, 2 and 1.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.