Two-time major champion golfer Fuzzy Zoeller dies at 74 – The New York Times

Golf
Zoeller saw his legacy tainted by a racially insensitive comment about Tiger Woods in 1997. Logan Riely / Getty Images
Golfer Frank “Fuzzy” Zoeller, a two-time major championship winner whose legacy was tainted by a racially insensitive comment about Tiger Woods, has died at 74.
A cause of death was not immediately made available. According to the Associated Press, Brian Naugle, the tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston, said Zoeller’s daughter called him Thursday to inform him of the news.
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Zoeller won the Masters on his first attempt in 1979, becoming the first golfer to achieve the feat since Gene Sarazen in 1935. In 1984, Zoeller defeated Greg Norman in an 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, the day after famously waving a white towel, “conceding” to Norman after he believed Norman had beaten him.
However, comments he made at the 1997 Masters sparked outrage and forever altered his popularity.
Appearing on CNN, Zoeller was asked for his thoughts on Woods, who was on his way to the most dominant victory in Augusta National history at 21 years old.
“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. Got it?” Zoeller said.
“Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve,” Zoeller then added while walking away.
Zoeller apologized after his comments were broadcast on CNN’s ”Pro Golf Weekly.”
”My comments were not intended to be racially derogatory, and I apologize for the fact that they were misconstrued in that fashion,” he said in a statement released by his agent.
Writing for Golf Digest in 2008, he called it “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life” and said he “cried many times.”
“If people wanted me to feel the same hurt I projected on others, I’m here to tell you they got their way,” he wrote.
In addition to his two famous major titles, Zoeller won eight other PGA Tour titles and two PGA Tour Champions titles, including a Senior PGA Championship. He also represented the United States in three Ryder Cups.
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Sarah Jean Maher is a Senior Editor for The Athletic. Previously she was the Manager of Communications at the Ontario Hockey League and held roles with the NHL, Sportsnet.ca and several other outlets. Sarah is a graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program.

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