Fred Ridley has been running Augusta National Golf Club since 2017, making him one of the most powerful figures in golf. Every April, the world watches him hand out the green jacket at the Masters. But away from all that, there is a woman who has been his constant, Fred Ridley’s wife, Elizabeth “Betsy” Herndon. Here is everything we know about her.
Who is Fred Ridley’s wife, Elizabeth Herndon?
Betsy largely stays out of the public eye, and given how fiercely private the Ridley family is, that is no surprise. She is a fellow University of Florida graduate, meaning the two share one of the most important chapters of their lives, their college years in Gainesville, Florida.
Fred was in Gainesville from the late 1960s through 1974, earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing and playing on the Florida Gators men’s golf team. Betsy was there too. Beyond her education, Betsy has kept herself away from the spotlight.
However, Fred once revealed in a podcast, “My first and last girlfriend are identical twins. My junior high sweetheart was an identical twin. And my last girlfriend is the woman I’ve been married to for 43 years, and she is an identical twin.”
What is Elizabeth Herndon’s height and age?
No confirmed public source has shared Elizabeth Herndon’s exact date of birth, age, or height. Her husband, Fred, stands six feet tall (1.83m), which is about the only physical detail the Ridley family has ever allowed into the public domain. As for Betsy, those specifics are not available.
Since she went to the University of Florida around the same time as Fred, who was born on August 16, 1952, they can be considered of the same generation. Her faith and religious background have also never been discussed publicly.
How did Fred Ridley and Elizabeth Herndon meet?
The exact story of how Fred and Betsy met has never been shared publicly. She graduated from the University of Florida, so they likely met there. There he played golf, studied business, and developed the competitive instincts that would later take him to the U.S. Championship for Amateurs.
Fred went on to win the U.S. Amateur, got his law degree from Stetson University College of Law in 1977, and went on to become the seventh chairman of Augusta National.
As he put it himself, “She knows how I think inside and out. I’m not sure I’d be chairman if it weren’t for Betsy Ridley.”
What does Elizabeth Herndon do for a living?
Not much information is publicly available about Fred Ridley’s wife’s professional life. Her career has never been officially confirmed in any verified source, and she has never spoken publicly about it.
What is clear is the kind of partner she has been to Fred. “She’s been around Augusta for so long,” he said. “She has so many friends there. She respects the traditions of the organization. And we’re a team, there’s no question about it.”
Away from Augusta, there is one role she has clearly embraced at home. Fred has laughingly called himself a serial renovator, saying their daughters and Betsy gave him that nickname after he renovated their Tampa home, which they bought in 1981, about seven times.
Fred Ridley and Elizabeth Herndon’s children
Fred and Betsy have three daughters: Sydney, Libby, and Maggie. He has spoken warmly about how much the Masters means to the whole family.
“My three daughters are huge golf fans,” he said. “Coming to the Masters is probably the highlight of their year. They’re all in their 30s now, but we’ve had so many memories as a family.”
Of the three daughters, Libby has followed the most visible professional path. She works as a business lawyer at Foley & Lardner, the same firm as her father, focusing on complex mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters. As for the grandchildren, Fred has shared that one grandson lives just two blocks away from the family home in Tampa Bay.
Elizabeth Herndon’s Instagram and social media
Fred Ridley’s wife, Elizabeth Herndon, does not have any public social media accounts. There is no credible public source that has confirmed that she has a verified account on Instagram, Facebook, or X. Fred Ridley himself doesn’t use public social media either, which fits with the Augusta National culture of privacy and tradition. Betsy Herndon is one of those people who chooses to live a life that doesn’t include the internet.
Elizabeth “Betsy” Herndon Ridley may not be a public figure in her own right, but Fred Ridley says it best.
“She is my soulmate. She knows how I think inside and out. I’m not sure I’d be chairman if it weren’t for Betsy Ridley.”
From their shared University of Florida roots to raising three daughters, welcoming grandchildren, and standing beside a man who runs the most famous golf tournament in the world. Fred Ridley’s wife has been there through all of it, steadily and quietly, every step of the way.
