Frank ‘Fuzzy’ Zoeller, winner of the Masters and US Open, has died at the age of 74. multiple reports. A cause of death was not immediately available.
Zoeller, a native of Indiana who played collegiately at the University of Houston, is the last player to win the Masters in his debut at the event. He earned his green jacket in a three-hole playoff against Tom Watson and Ed Sneed in 1979.
“I’ve never been to heaven, and when I think back on my life, I probably won’t get a chance to go there,” Zoeller famously said. “I think winning the Masters is the closest.”
Zoeller went on to win ten PGA Tour titles, including another major win at the 1984 US Open at Winged Foot. He won the championship in an 18-hole playoff against Greg Norman the day after he infamously waved a white towel in surrender on the 18th hole, thinking he had lost the tournament.
“Fuzzy was one of a kind,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan said in a statement. “We are grateful for everything he gave to golf. I hope we can all remember his undeniable joy.”
Zoeller continued his excellent play on the Champions Tour, winning twice on the senior circuit, including a title at the 2002 Senior PGA Championship, in which he prevailed by one shot over Hale Irwin and Bobby Wadkins.
Despite his success on the court, Zoeller’s reputation off the court was scarred after he made racially insensitive comments about Tiger Woods during the 1997 Masters. Zoeller said immediately after Woods’ record victory at Augusta National, “You know what you guys do when he comes in here? You pat him on the back, congratulate him and enjoy it, and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year.”
Zoeller later apologized for the blunder. He reportedly received death threats because of his comments and wrote in 2008 that the incident was “the worst thing I have experienced in my entire life.”
“If people wanted me to feel the same pain I projected onto others, I’m here to tell you they got their way,” Zoeller wrote. “I have cried many times. I have apologized countless times for words said in jest that simply do not reflect who I am. I have hundreds of friends, including people of color, who will attest to that… Yet I have come to terms with the fact that this incident will never go away.”
Zoeller’s wife, Diane, died in 2021. He is survived by his four children, Sunny, Heidi, Gretchen and Miles, as well as several grandchildren.
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