PGA Tour star and two-time major champion Fuzzy Zoeller has passed away at the age of 74, according to ESPN. An immediate cause of death was not made available. He is survived by his three children, Gus, Miles, and Gretchen. Zoeller's late wife, Diane Thornton Zoeller, previously passed away in 2021.
Zoeller remains the last golfer to win the Masters on his first attempt. He accomplished the feat back in 1979, defeating Ed Sneed and Tom Watson in a three-man playoff. Sneed bogeyed the final three holes, allowing Zoeller and Watson to catch him.
Five years later, Zoeller won the second major of his career. He famously waved the white flag at the 1984 U.S. Open, thinking the 40-foot putt Greg Norman sank on 18 was for birdie. As it turned out, it was only for par, which allowed Zoeller to equal his score.
The two men played an 18-hole playoff the following day, which Fuzzy won by eight strokes.
But the memory of Zoeller was tarnished 13 years later.
As a young Tiger Woods was in the process of decimating the Masters field, Zoeller made racist remarks that haunted him for years.
“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 to serve fried chicken next year,” Zoeller said.
As he was walking away, he turned and said, “Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.”
Zoeller later stated that he received death threats for years afterward. In 2008, the eight-time PGA Tour winner wrote it was “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.”
