Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, who has died aged 74, won two majors – the 1979 US Masters and the 1984 US Open – both via playoffs. His success at the Masters was especially notable for the fact that it was Zeller's competitive debut, making him the first golfer since 1935 (and only the third so far) to win in his first appearance. He won a sudden-death playoff against Tom Watson and Ed Snead with a par and birdie, sinking a six-foot putt into the second extra hole and flinging his putter. high in the air as the ball disappeared into the cup.
Zeller's US Open victory at Winged Foot five years later is remembered for his light-hearted interactions with his playoff opponent Greg Norman. When Norman hit a long putt on the last of 72 holes, Zeller, standing behind him on the fairway, mistakenly thought the Australian had taken the lead and waved a white towel at him. simulated surrender. But Norman's putt only leveled it, and Zeller was able to make par in the final match to keep par. During the subsequent 18-hole playoff, which Zeller won by eight strokes, Norman returned the gesture flapping wings your white towel on the 18th.
In addition to these two major victories, Zoller has eight more victories on the PGA Tour in the United States. He also finished second at the 1981 USPGA event in Duluth, Georgia, finished third at the 1994 Open Championship at Turnberry, and played in three Ryder Cups in 1979, 1983 and 1985, although he had a dismal record in that event, losing eight of 10 matches, with just one win and one tie.
Frank Urban Zoller was born in New Albany. IndianaFrank Sr., a wood veneer business executive, and his wife Alma (née Cummings) knew him as Fuzzy from an early age because of his initials. He began playing golf at age three and excelled at the sport at New Albany High School, Edison College in Florida and the University of Houston in Texas before turning pro in 1973.
He earned his USPGA tour card the following year and, after a modest first season, improved greatly in his second with four top-10 finishes, two of which were runner-up finishes. A fast player, he was calm on the fairways and could often be seen whistling and joking with the crowd.
Zeller was considered a long way off the tee in those days, but subsequently put himself in a number of good winning positions, but began to gain a reputation as something of a choker until his first victory came in 1979 at the San Diego Open. Ten weeks later, he won the Masters at age 27, taking advantage of a loss to Sneed, who looked like a winner before bogeying the final three holes. “I’ve never been to heaven, and looking back on my life, I probably won’t be able to get there,” Zeller joked. “But I think winning the Masters is the closest I can get.”
In 1984 US OpenZeller had a three-stroke lead after nine holes of the final round, but Norman tied the match at 17th. On the 18th, Norman hit his approach into the stands, but after taking relief without penalty, he flew 45 feet from the flag and holed a par putt. That's when Zeller, who was standing in the back of the group and believed that Norman had just registered a birdie, waved his white towel. The next day's playoff proved very one-sided, with Zeller leading by five shots after nine holes and extending the distance by three more on the back half. The following year, Zeller received the USPGA's 1985 Bob Jones Award for outstanding sportsmanship.
After this second major there were expectations for more. But Zeller's momentum slowed, and his next victory at the Anheuser-Busch Classic golf tournament in Virginia in 1986 turned out to be his last on a major U.S. tour, at age 34—though he did record five top-10 finishes in majors between 1986 and 1994.
In 1997, late in his career, Zeller's love of one-liners drew him into controversy. Tiger Woods became the first black player to win a major – at the Masters. While relaxing with a drink at the Augusta Club, Zeller was surrounded by a CNN reporter who wanted to offer some spontaneous thoughts about Woods' imminent victory. While he praised Woods' performance, he also jokingly called the 21-year-old a “little boy” and hoped he wouldn't choose fried chicken and collard greens for the champions' celebratory dinner.
Although he quickly apologized for the racial stereotypes (and Woods later brushed off the incident), Zeller found it difficult to repair the damage to his reputation, which led to him losing lucrative sponsorship deals and causing him misery for years.
In 2002, he joined the US Over-50 Champions Tour, winning the Ohio Senior PGA Championship in 2002 and the Mastercard Championship in Hawaii in 2004 before playing his final tournament in 2017. He also designed golf courses and enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Zeller's wife, Diane (née Thornton), whom he married in 1976, died in 2021. He is survived by his children, Sunny, Heidi, Gretchen and Miles.
