Fuzzy Zoeller passes away at age 74

Fuzzy Zoeller (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Mandeep Sanghera of the BBC on Thursday, two-time major golf champion Fuzzy Zoeller of New Albany, Indiana passed away at the age of 74. Zoeller’s first major championship came at the Masters in 1979, and his second major championship came at the United States Open in 1984. When Zoeller won his second career major, it came at Winged Foot in New York.

At Augusta in 1979, Zoeller won a three-man playoff. He posted a winning score of -8 and beat fellow Americans Tom Watson of Kansas City, Missouri and Ed Sneed of Roanoke, Virginia. This was only the third time ever in the history of the Masters there was a three-man playoff. The first came in 1962 when the late Arnold Palmer of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, posted a wining score of -8 and beat Gary Player of Johannesburg, South Africa and Dow Finsterwald of Athens, Ohio. The second came in 1966 when Jack Nicklaus of Columbus, Ohio posted a score of even, and beat Gay Brewer of Middletown, Ohio, and Tommy Jacobs of Denver, Colorado.

Zoeller’s performance at the 1979 Masters will be best remembered by his comeback. It is the sixth biggest comeback in Masters history. Zoeller was six strokes back of Ed Sneed after three rounds before taking the title.

Then at the United States Open 41 years ago, Zoeller also won in a playoff. He posted a score of -4, and beat Australian and former LIV Tour head Greg Norman.

Zoeller won eight other PGA tournaments. He won the 1979 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, the 1981 Colonial, the 1983 and 1986 Heritage, 1983 Pro Celebrity Classic in Las Vegas, 1985 Bay Hill, 1986 Pebble Beach, and 1986 Anheuser-Busch Classic in Virginia.