Fuzzy Zoeller, a two-time major champion and one of golf’s most gregarious characters whose career was tainted by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods, has died, according to a longtime colleague. He was 74.
A cause of death was not immediately available. Brian Naugle, the tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston, said Zoeller’s daughter called him Thursday with the news.
“The PGA Tour is saddened by the passing of Fuzzy Zoeller,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement.” Fuzzy was a true original whose talent and charisma left an indelible mark on the game of golf. Fuzzy combined competitive excellence with a sense of humor that endeared him to fans and fellow players alike. We celebrate his remarkable legacy and extend our deepest condolences to his family.”
Zoeller was the last player to win the Masters on his first attempt, emerging from a three-man playoff in 1979. He famously waved a white towel at Winged Foot during the 1984 U.S. Open when he thought Greg Norman had beaten him; however, Zoeller went on to defeat Norman in an 18-hole playoff the next day.
It was an incident at the 1997 Masters that affected his legacy in retirement.
With Woods on his way to a watershed moment in golf — the most dominant victory in Augusta National history — Zoeller was asked to contextualize the 21-year-old golfer’s performance by CNN.
“That little boy is driving well, and he’s putting well. He’s doing everything it takes to win. So, you know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it, and tell him not serve fried chicken next year. [at the Champions Dinner] Got it?” Zoeller said.
Zoeller smiled and snapped his fingers. As he was walking away, he turned and added, “Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.”
Those remarks haunted Zoeller. Though he later apologized, he said 11 years later in Golf Digest that he received death threats for his comments, calling the situation “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life.”
“If people wanted me to feel the same hurt I projected on others, I’m here to tell you they got their way,” Zoeller wrote. “I’ve cried many times. I’ve apologized countless times for words said in jest that just aren’t a reflection of who I am. I have hundreds of friends, including people of color, who will attest to that.
“Still, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this incident will never, ever go away.”
Zoeller won 10 times on the PGA Tour, adding two PGA Champions titles to his pair of major championships.
He was born Frank Urban Zoeller Jr. in New Albany, Indiana. Zoeller said his father was known only as “Fuzzy,” and he was given the same name.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.