Fuzzy Zoeller obituary

The golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, who has died aged 74, won two majors – the US Masters in 1979 and the US Open in 1984, both by virtue of a playoff. His Masters success was especially notable for the fact that it was Zoeller’s debut in the competition, making him the first golfer since 1935 (and still only the third) to win on his first appearance. He won the sudden-death playoff against Tom Watson and Ed Sneed with a par and a birdie, sinking a six-foot putt on the second extra hole and hurling his putter high into the air as the ball disappeared into the cup.

Zoeller’s US Open victory at Winged Foot five years later was remembered for his light-hearted interaction with his play-off rival, Greg Norman. When Norman holed a lengthy putt on the last of the 72 holes, Zoeller, who was behind him on the fairway, mistakenly thought the Australian had gone into the lead, and waved a white towel in mock surrender. But Norman’s putt had only drawn him level, and Zoeller was able to secure a par on the last to maintain parity. During the subsequent 18-hole playoff, which Zoeller won by eight strokes, Norman returned the gesture by flapping his own white towel at the 18th.

As well as those two big wins, Zoeller picked up eight other PGA tour victories in the US. He was also runner-up at the 1981 USPGA tournament in Duluth, Georgia, third in the 1994 Open championship at Turnberry, and played in three Ryder Cups, in 1979, 1983 and 1985, although he had a terrible record in that competition, losing eight of his 10 matches, with just one win and one draw.

Born Frank Urban Zoeller in New Albany, Indiana, to Frank Sr, an executive at a wood veneer business, and his wife, Alma (nee Cummings), he was known as Fuzzy from an early age, on account of his initials. He started playing golf at the age of three, and shone in the sport at New Albany high school, Edison Junior College in Florida, and Houston University in Texas, before turning professional in 1973.

He earned his USPGA tour card the following year and after a modest first season improved vastly in his second with four top 10 finishes, two of which were in the runner-up slot. A quick player, he was easygoing on the fairways and could often be seen whistling and cracking jokes with the crowd.

Considered long off the tee in those days, Zoeller subsequently put himself into a number of good positions to win, but had begun to gain a reputation as something of a choker until his first win came in 1979, at the San Diego Open. Ten weeks later he won the Masters at the age of 27, taking advantage of a collapse by Sneed, who had looked to be the winner before bogeying the last three holes. “I’ve never been to heaven, and, thinking back on my life, I probably won’t get a chance to go,” Zoeller joked. “But I guess winning the Masters is as close as I’m going to get.”

At the 1984 US Open, Zoeller had a three-stroke lead after nine holes of the final round, but Norman had drawn level by the 17th. On the 18th, Norman hit his approach shot into the stands, but after receiving relief without penalty chipped to 45ft from the flag and holed the par putt. It was then that Zoeller, standing in the group behind and believing Norman had just registered a birdie, waved his white towel. The playoff on the following day turned out to be heavily one-sided, with Zoeller leading by five shots after nine holes, and stretching the distance by a further three on the back half. The following year Zoeller was given the USPGA’s 1985 Bob Jones award for distinguished sportsmanship.

After that second major there were expectations of more to come. But Zoeller’s momentum slowed, and his next tournament victory, at the Anheuser-Busch golf classic in Virginia in 1986, proved to be his last on the main US tour, at the age of 34 – although he did have five top 10 finishes in the majors between 1986 and 1994.

In 1997, in the twilight of his career, Zoeller’s fondness for wisecracking embroiled him in controversy as Tiger Woods became the first black player to win a major – at the Masters. Relaxing with a drink in the Augusta clubhouse, Zoeller was collared by a CNN journalist looking for some off-the-cuff thoughts about Woods’ imminent victory. While he praised Woods’ performance, he also jokingly referred to the 21-year-old as “a little boy” and said he hoped that he would not be choosing fried chicken and collard greens for the celebratory champions dinner.

Although he swiftly apologised for the racial stereotyping – and Woods later brushed aside the incident – Zoeller found it difficult to repair the damage to his reputation, which led to the loss of lucrative sponsorship deals and caused him anguish for years.

In 2002 he joined the over-50s Champions Tour in the US, winning the Senior PGA Championship in Ohio in 2002 and the Mastercard Championship in Hawaii in 2004 before playing his last event in 2017. He also designed golf courses, and enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Zoeller’s wife, Diane (nee Thornton), whom he married in 1976, died in 2021. He is survived by their children, Sunnye, Heidi, Gretchen and Miles.