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Fuzzy Zoeller

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Fuzzy Zoeller
Zoeller in 2008
Personal information
Full nameFrank Urban Zoeller Jr.
NicknameFuzzy
Born(1951-11-11)November 11, 1951
New Albany, Indiana, U.S.
DiedNovember 27, 2025(2025-11-27) (aged 74)
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceFloyds Knobs, Indiana, U.S.
SpouseDiane Thornton Zoeller
Children4
Career
CollegeEdison Junior College (FL)
University of Houston
Turned professional1973
Former toursPGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins19
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour10
PGA Tour Champions2
Other7
Best results in major championships
(wins: 2)
Masters TournamentWon: 1979
PGA Championship2nd: 1981
U.S. OpenWon: 1984
The Open Championship3rd: 1994
Achievements and awards
Bob Jones Award1985

Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller Jr. (/ˈzɛlər/; November 11, 1951 – November 27, 2025) was an American professional golfer who won 10 PGA Tour events including two major championships. He won the 1979 Masters Tournament, becoming the third golfer to win in his first appearance in the event. He also won the 1984 U.S. Open.[1]

Early life and amateur career

Zoeller was born and raised in New Albany, Indiana. While attending New Albany High School, he was a star golfer, finishing as the runner-up in the 1970 state high school tournament with a state record low round (67).[2]

After graduating high school, he attended Edison Junior College in Florida, transferred to the University of Houston in Texas, and became a professional golfer in 1973.[3]

Professional golfing career

Zoeller became a professional golfer in 1973.[4][5]

In 1979, Zoeller became the first golfer since 1935[a] to win The Masters in his first appearance in the event.[3] Zoeller won both of his two major tournaments in playoffs: the Masters in 1979 at Augusta National Golf Club in a three-way sudden-death playoff with Ed Sneed and Tom Watson; and the 1984 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club after an 18-hole playoff with Greg Norman.[3] It was the first sudden-death playoff at The Masters.[6]

Fuzzy Zoeller after hitting a shot off a tee during the first round of the 1980 Memorial Tournament at the Muirfield Village Golf Club

For much of his career, Zoeller was famous for waving a white towel in mock surrender from the fairway of the 72nd hole of the 1984 U.S. Open, after Greg Norman holed a long putt on the 72nd green to tie Zoeller for the tournament lead. At the end of the 18-hole playoff the next day between Norman and Zoeller (which Zoeller won by 8 strokes), Norman waved a white towel himself, returning the joke.[7]

Zoeller was voted the 1985 winner of the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.[8] He shared the 54-hole lead in the 1994 Open Championship after a 3rd round of 64, but finished the tournament in 3rd place, his best-ever finish in The Open. Zoeller missed an 8-foot (2.4 m) birdie putt on the 18th green in his 3rd round at Turnberry which would have tied the record for the best single round at The Open.[9]

He competed in the 1979,[10] 1983,[11] and 1985[12] Ryder Cups. In 2002, he joined the Champions Tour and won the Senior PGA Championship, a senior major, that year. He also won the 2004 MasterCard Championship.[3]

Other pursuits

In 2009, Zoeller began selling vodka under the brand name Fuzzy's Vodka.[13][14] Starting in 2012, the brand sponsored Ed Carpenter Racing's entries in the IndyCar Series.[15]

In 1997, during the 1997 Masters Tournament, Zoeller was asked about Tiger Woods and responded, "Tell him not to serve fried chicken next year...or collard greens or whatever they serve". The remarks were condemned as racist, and this incident haunted Zoeller for the rest of his life.[8]

Defamation lawsuit

On February 13, 2007, Zoeller sued Josef Silny & Associates, a foreign-credential evaluation firm based in Miami, Florida. The lawsuit alleged that defamatory statements appeared in the Wikipedia article about Zoeller in December 2006, originating from a computer at that firm.[16][17] According to the suit, the edits suggested Zoeller had committed acts including alcohol, drug, and domestic abuse.[18] Defendant Josef Silny said a computer consultant would investigate.[19][20] However, Zoeller dropped the lawsuit in December 2007 after being unsuccessful in finding the poster.[21] Zoeller was unable to sue Wikipedia for the statements due to protections accorded to providers of "interactive computer services" under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.[22]

Personal life and death

Zoeller was married to Diane, who died in 2021. He had four children.[3]

He died on November 27, 2025, at the age of 74.[23]

Awards and honors

In 1985, he was awarded the Bob Jones Award by the United States Golf Association.[8]

Amateur wins

  • 1972 Florida State Junior College Championship (individual)[24]
  • 1973 Old Capital Invitational (Indiana)[25]
  • 1973 Indiana State Amateur[24]

Professional wins (19)

PGA Tour wins (10)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (8)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up Refs.
1 Jan 28, 1979 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational 76-67-67-72=282 −6 5 strokes United States Billy Kratzert, United States Wayne Levi,
United States Artie McNickle, United States Tom Watson 		[26]
2 Apr 15, 1979 Masters Tournament 70-71-69-70=280 −8 Playoff United States Ed Sneed, United States Tom Watson [27]
3 May 17, 1981 Colonial National Invitation 67-69-68-70=274 −6 4 strokes United States Hale Irwin [28]
4 Apr 18, 1983 Sea Pines Heritage 67-72-65-71=275 −9 2 strokes Canada Jim Nelford [29]
5 Sep 18, 1983 Panasonic Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic 63-70-70-64-73=340 −18 4 strokes United States Rex Caldwell [30]
6 Jun 18, 1984 U.S. Open 71-66-69-70=276 −4 Playoff Australia Greg Norman [31]
7 Mar 10, 1985 Hertz Bay Hill Classic 70-72-66-67=275 −9 2 strokes United States Tom Watson [32]
8 Feb 2, 1986 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 69-66-70=205[b] −11 5 strokes United States Payne Stewart [33]
9 Apr 20, 1986 Sea Pines Heritage (2) 68-68-69-71=276 −8 1 stroke United States Chip Beck, United States Roger Maltbie,
Australia Greg Norman 		[29][33]
10 Jul 13, 1986 Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic 70-68-72-64=274 −10 2 strokes United States Jodie Mudd [33]

PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result Refs.
1 1979 Masters Tournament United States Ed Sneed, United States Tom Watson Won with birdie on second extra hole [34]
2 1983 Colonial National Invitation United States Jim Colbert Lost to par on sixth extra hole [35]
3 1984 U.S. Open Australia Greg Norman Won 18-hole playoff;
Zoeller: −3 (67),
Norman: +5 (75) 		[36]
4 1994 Tour Championship United States Mark McCumber Lost to birdie on first extra hole [37]

Other wins (4)

Champions Tour wins (2)

Legend
Senior major championships (1)
Other Champions Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up Refs.
1 Jun 9, 2002 Senior PGA Championship −2 (69-71-70-68=278) 1 stroke United States Hale Irwin, United States Bobby Wadkins [41]
2 Jan 25, 2004 MasterCard Championship −20 (67-65-64=196) 1 stroke United States Dana Quigley [42]

Other senior wins (3)

Major championships

Wins (2)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score To par Margin Runner(s)-up Refs.
1979 Masters Tournament 6 shot deficit 70-71-69-70=280 −8 Playoff1 United States Ed Sneed, United States Tom Watson [34]
1984 U.S. Open 1 shot deficit 71-66-69-70=276 −4 Playoff2 Australia Greg Norman [36]

1Defeated Sneed and Watson in a sudden-death playoff[5] - Zoeller 4-3 (−1), Sneed 4-4 (E) and Watson 4-4 (E).
2Defeated Norman in an 18-hole playoff - Zoeller 67 (–3), Norman 75 (+5).

Results timeline

Tournament 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament 1
U.S. Open T38 T44 CUT CUT
The Open Championship CUT[5]
PGA Championship T54 10 T54[5]
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T19 T43 T10 T20 T31 CUT T21 T27 T16 T26
U.S. Open T53 T15 CUT 1 T9 T15 CUT T8 CUT
The Open Championship CUT T8 T14 T14 T11 T8 T29 T52 CUT
PGA Championship T41 2 CUT T6 T54 CUT 64 CUT CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament T20 T12 T19 T11 T35 CUT CUT T34 T33 CUT
U.S. Open T8 T5 CUT T68 T58 T21 T28 CUT CUT
The Open Championship T80 T14 3 CUT
PGA Championship T14 CUT T31 T19 69 T36 CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT 60 CUT CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1979 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 1 0 0 1 2 10 31 18
U.S. Open 1 0 0 2 5 8 22 14
The Open Championship 0 0 1 1 3 7 14 10
PGA Championship 0 1 0 1 3 5 20 13
Totals 2 1 1 5 13 30 87 55
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1993 Masters – 1994 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Players Championship CUT 79 CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT T56 CUT T27 CUT T54 T23 T45 CUT 2 T64 T34 2 T55 T4 T14 CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

Year Championship Winning score To par Margin Runners-up Refs.
2002 Senior PGA Championship 69-71-70-68=278 −2 2 strokes United States Hale Irwin, United States Bobby Wadkins [41]

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The only two other golfers to have won The Masters on their debut at Augusta were the winners of the first two Masters tournaments Horton Smith and Gene Sarazen, in 1934 and 1935 respectively.
  2. ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

References

  1. ^ Beall, Joel (November 27, 2025). "Fuzzy Zoeller, two-time major champ, dies at 74". Golf Digest. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  2. ^ "IHSAA Boys Golf State Champions". ihsaa.org. Indiana High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mason, Peter (December 1, 2025). "Fuzzy Zoeller obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  4. ^ Livsey, Laury (November 27, 2025). "Ten-time PGA Tour winner Fuzzy Zoeller dies at age 74". pgatour.com. PGA of America. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Fuzzy Zoeller, golfer whose two victories in majors were eclipsed by remarks about Tiger Woods". The Telegraph. November 28, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "Only three rookies have ever won the Masters, Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 being the last". Golfweek. April 14, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  7. ^ Hack, Damon (June 12, 2006). "The Shark, the Towel and the Wave". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c "Two-time major champion golfer Fuzzy Zoeller dies at 74". ESPN. Associated Press. November 27, 2025. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  9. ^ Verdi, Bob (July 17, 1994). "Fittingly, Zoeller Thrives On Sunny Day At Turnberry". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  10. ^ "1979 Ryder Cup: Team Europe Debuts". golfcompendium.com. May 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  11. ^ "Remember When: 1983 Ryder Cup". rydercup.com. Ryder Cup. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  12. ^ "Fuzzy Zoeller and Hubert Green in concentration as they walk up the fairway at the 1985 Ryder Cup". collections.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  13. ^ "Fuzzy's Vodka". fuzzyvodka.com. Fuzzy's Vodka. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  14. ^ "Fuzzy's". fuzzyvodka.com. Fuzzy's Vodka. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  15. ^ "2016 Indianapolis 500 Sponsors". Ed Carpenter Racing Team. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  16. ^ "Golfer Zoeller sues law firm for Wikipedia posting". Miami Herald. February 22, 2007.
  17. ^ "Golfer Sues Over Vandalized Wikipedia Page". The Smoking Gun. February 22, 2007.
  18. ^ "Fuzzy teed off". Sports Illustrated. February 22, 2007. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  19. ^ "Zoeller sues to identify the author of a disputed entry on Wikipedia". pga.com. PGA of America. February 22, 2007. Archived from the original on March 27, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  20. ^ Zaharov-Reutt, Alex (February 25, 2007). "Wikipedia entry causes pro-golfer Fuzzy Zoeller to sue". itwire.com. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  21. ^ "Zoeller v. Josef Silny & Associates". Digital Media Law Project. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  22. ^ Beaumont, Claudine (May 11, 2008). "Wikipedia fights defamation lawsuit". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  23. ^ "Fuzzy Zoeller, 1984 U.S. Open Champion, Dies at 74". usga.org. United States Golf Association. November 27, 2025. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Meet the Magnificent Twenty". Hartford Courant. July 21, 1985. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  25. ^ "Old Capital Invitational List of Champions". The Corydon Democrat. June 3, 1992. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  26. ^ "2024 Media Guide" (PDF). The Century Club. 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  27. ^ "Masters – Past Winners & Results". Augusta National Inc. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  28. ^ "PGA Results - Colonial National Invitation". Kingsport Times-News. May 18, 1981. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  29. ^ a b "Heritage Honor Roll: Past Champions". The Island Packet. April 9, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  30. ^ "PGA Scores - $750,000 Las Vegas Pro-Am". The Daily Herald. September 20, 1983. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  31. ^ "1984 U.S. Open Golf Tournament Winner and Scores". Golf Compendium. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  32. ^ "Bay Hill statistics - 1985". The Orlando Sentinel. March 8, 1987. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  33. ^ a b c "The PGA tour so far". Sun-News. July 15, 1986. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  34. ^ a b Shearer, Ed (April 16, 1979). "8-foot sudden-death putt wins Masters for Fuzzy Zoeller". The Globe. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  35. ^ "CBS misses Colbert's win, angers viewers". The Albuquerque Tribune. May 16, 1983. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  36. ^ a b Borden, Paul (June 19, 1984). "Zoeller joins fast crowd with U.S. Open Championship". USA Today. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  37. ^ "SPORTS". Florida Today. October 31, 1994. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  38. ^ a b Rosaforte, Tim (December 12, 1986). "Fuzzy's game is fun and making money". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  39. ^ Green, Bob (October 22, 1987). "Zoeller enjoys the game while it's rolling his way". San Antonio Light. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  40. ^ "Par 3 Shootout in Gaylord". The Bay City Times. July 2, 2003. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  41. ^ a b "73RD SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP" (PDF). PGA. 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  42. ^ "MasterCard Championship". The Windsor Star. January 26, 2004. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  43. ^ Holland, David R. (March 7, 2013). "Public Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club brings PGA-level play to Gold Canyon, Arizona". GolfPass. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  44. ^ "Wendy's Champions Skins Game". The Plain Dealer. February 25, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  45. ^ "Wendy's Champions Skins Game". The Daily Herald. January 19, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  46. ^ Associated Press (September 18, 1979). "U.S. wins Ryder Cup". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  47. ^ "U.S. wins Ryder Cup". The Jackson Sun. October 17, 1983. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  48. ^ "Ryder Cup team". The Mobile Register. August 13, 1985. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  49. ^ "Golf Fans to Gather in Southern Nevada for Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge". San Francisco Chronicle. October 25, 2001. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
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