Two-time major champion golfer Fuzzy Zoeller
dies at 74
Associated Press,
by
Staff
Original Article
Posted By: Mizz Fixxit,
11/27/2025 2:29:01 PM
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.
Zoeller was the last player to win the Masters on his first attempt, a three-man playoff in 1979. He famously waved a white towel at Winged Foot in 1984 when he thought Greg Norman had beat him, only to defeat Norman in an 18-hole playoff the next day.
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
MindMadeUp 11/27/2025 3:10:54 PM (No. 2034694)
They gotta mention "racially insensitive joke". So tiresome. Blacks make racially insensitive jokes constantly. In fact the entire repertoire of most black comics comprises racially insensitive jokes. A big backlash is overdue, and "people of color" won't like it.
23 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Mizz Fixxit 11/27/2025 3:31:50 PM (No. 2034699)
Poster 1, I agree.
In addition to wins at Augusta and the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, Fuzzy won four other times on classic courses including Colonial, Pebble Beach and twice at Harbour Town.
15 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
earlybird 11/27/2025 4:05:20 PM (No. 2034702)
Did Tiger have the vapors over a rather obvious topical joke or was it just the snotty sports wruters like this anonymous one? It could have been mentioned in a late paragraph or never.
14 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Rather Read 11/27/2025 5:19:16 PM (No. 2034715)
I loved Fuzzy. He was such a good golfer and he was a lot of fun too. Stupid press and the off hand racial joke. Note to the press. No one cared then and no one cares now.
12 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Birddog 11/27/2025 5:25:48 PM (No. 2034716)
I met him a couple of times, he owned a Bar in Mo.City texas when I lived there, and my stepfather was paired with him at a ProAm during the Houston Open, they became friends and played other courses together. Nice guy, very friendly, very funny.
11 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Jethro bo 11/27/2025 5:40:30 PM (No. 2034718)
So this is from the AsPress. I will have to wait for confirmation as this is not a reliable source of any information.
8 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Heil Liberals 11/27/2025 5:42:58 PM (No. 2034719)
The AssPress cannot help themselves. They have to p is s on his grave to make themselves feel better. What a bunch of trash.
11 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Italiano 11/27/2025 6:41:37 PM (No. 2034724)
Tiger was disappointed but accepted Fuzzy’s apology and didn’t make a big deal about it, unlike white liberals, the most closet racist demographic out there.
Fuzzy was a character and great for golf, but reportedly did enjoy a drink or two after a round (a table over from me at La Costa years ago), and it got him in trouble that day.
8 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
LadyHen 11/27/2025 9:41:27 PM (No. 2034753)
Fuzzy was a good man. No need to apologize or prostate to the AP self proclaimed gods in repentance. Get over yourselves.
3 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Hazymac 11/28/2025 7:21:18 AM (No. 2034814)
Fuzzy Zoeller was among the best. Major championships are the most important, and Zoeller beat Norman at Winged Foot when Norman was the best player in the world. I didn't expect Fuzzy to win that tournament, but he had a lot more game than we knew. Naturally, the Associated Press brings up Fuzzy's comment about whether Tiger would serve fried chicken at next year's champions' dinner at Augusta National. (I read that Tiger did serve fried chicken the following year, and it was the best fried chicken anyone had ever had.) Rest in peace, Fuzzy.
4 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Strike3 11/28/2025 9:32:47 AM (No. 2034869)
Oh please. Only a substandard organization like the AssPress would mention that stupid joke in the first paragraph. How many of us haven't made jokes about Tiger Woods although we admired his superb skills? Most of it was after his angry wife put a nine iron through his rear window for his infidelity but how many blacks Do Not like fried chicken. RIP, Fuzzy, you did nothing wrong that will keep you out of heaven, as far as I know.
3 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
lakerman1 11/28/2025 9:56:17 AM (No. 2034884)
Allow me to untangle this.
The tradition at the Master's is for the current year's winner to select the menu for next year's banquest.
Fuzzy, by saying Tiger would do the selecting, was saying indirectly that Tiger would win. And Tiger did.
But Fuzzy, quick-witted as he was, worked in the fried chicken comment.
Being quick-witted can be trouble, at tImes. Back in graduate school, I was chatting with two female classmates about a research paper assignment.
They told me that the two of them were going to submit a joint research paper.
I nodded, and said, "a broad spectrum approach!"
3 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Hazymac 11/28/2025 10:41:03 AM (No. 2034902)
Re #12: Tiger had already won when Fuzzy made his comment. Yes, the Master's champion of this year chooses the menu for the next year's champions' dinner. That's a Masters tradition.
In 1979, Fuzzy became the only Masters rookie to win. No one else (except Horton Smith in the inaugural Masters in 1934) has won the first time out in this tournament. It's one of four major championships. Massive, massive choke factor. And you might recall that poor Ed Sneed in 1979 came to the 72nd hole with a three foot uphill putt to win the Masters. He missed. Then Fuzzy won the playoff.
4 people like this.
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Comments:
Sad news. Fuzzy Zoeller was a very good player and a likable guy.