Fuzzy Zoeller, the two-time major champion whose genial public persona was overshadowed by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods, has died aged 74. No cause of death was immediately available. Brian Naugle, tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston and a longtime colleague, said Zoeller’s daughter notified him of the death on Thursday.
Zoeller, born Frank Urban Zoeller Jr in New Albany, Indiana, was one of golf’s most outgoing characters. He was the first player in more than four decades to win the Masters on his debut, claiming the 1979 green jacket after a three-man playoff. Five years later at the US Open at Winged Foot, he outlasted Greg Norman in an 18-hole Monday playoff after famously waving a white towel from the fairway.
US president Donald Trump posted a tribute on Truth Social, calling Zoeller “a truly remarkable person and player”. But for all his success, it was the 1997 Masters that irrevocably altered his standing. As Woods marched toward victory, Zoeller was stopped by a CNN crew and made a joke about fried chicken and collard greens, sparking immediate outrage. He apologised but received death threats for years.
Zoeller won eight additional PGA Tour titles, captured two PGA Tour Champions victories including a Senior PGA Championship, and represented the United States in three Ryder Cups. Known for playing quickly and whistling between shots, he cultivated an image of a player who both competed hard and relished the walk.
His wife, Diane, died in 2021. He is survived by three children, including his daughter Gretchen, with whom he often played in the PNC Championship. He was awarded the USGA’s Bob Jones Award for sportsmanship in 1985.
