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Maurice Bembridge, who performed in 4 Ryder Cups and gained six occasions on the European Tour, has handed away on the age of 79.
The Englishman turned skilled on the age of 15 when he started working as an Assistant at Worksop Golf Membership in Nottinghamshire. He made his Ryder Cup debut in 1969 within the well-known tied contest at Royal Birkdale, successful two and halving one among his 5 matches, and went on to play within the subsequent three Ryder Cups, in 1971, 73, and 75.
Following the formation of the European Tour in 1972, Bembridge gained six occasions in whole, together with his first victory on the 1973 Martini Worldwide. His greatest season was in 1974 when he gained claimed three titles – the Piccadilly Medal, the Double Diamond Strokeplay, and the Viyella PGA Championship. The next yr he gained the 1975 German Open and his last Tour victory got here within the 1979 Benson & Hedges Worldwide Open.
One in all his biggest claims to fame, nonetheless, stemmed from his efficiency in a match he didn’t win – the 1974 Masters Match. Bembridge started the ultimate spherical three-over Par at Augusta Nationwide and ended it on five-under after posting an eight-under par spherical of 64 to complete tied-ninth. In doing so, he equalled the course document then shared by Jack Nicklaus and Lloyd Mangrum and subsequently eclipsed by Nick Value and Greg Norman. He took simply 30 strokes on the again 9 in a spherical that his 1969 Ryder Cup team-mate Peter Alliss rated as one of many most interesting within the sport’s historical past.
Nicklaus, who completed tied-fourth, three photographs adrift of Gary Participant, the champion, had been served discover of Maurice’s capabilities a handful of months earlier within the 1974 Ryder Cup at Muirfield. The afternoon fourballs on day one noticed Maurice and Brian Huggett defeat Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer 3&1. Then within the singles Nicklaus wanted 36 holes to beat Bembridge after the pair had halved the morning session, the 18-times main champion successful the afternoon encounter two-up.
Bembridge, whose greatest end in a Main was fifth within the 1968 Open Championship, continued to play on the European Tour – now the DP World Tour – till 1987. He turned a PGA Honorary Member in 1994 and, on turning 50 the next yr, joined the European Senior Tour.
He went on to win two tournaments on the over-50s circuit, the Hippo Jersey Seniors in 1996 and Swedish Seniors two years later, and was a member of the European Senior Tour committee for 9 years, serving as chairman from 2007-2011.
In whole, he gained 20 skilled titles, together with the Kenya Open 3 times (1968, 1969 and 1979), the 1969 Information of the World Match Play, the Caltex Open in New Zealand in 1970, the 1971 Dunlop Masters and 1972 Lusaka Open in Zambia.
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