kids encyclopedia robot

Fuzzy Zoeller facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Fuzzy Zoeller
Fuzzy Zoeller in 2008
Personal information
Full name Frank Urban Zoeller Jr.
Nickname Fuzzy
Born (1951-11-11) November 11, 1951 (age 73)
New Albany, Indiana, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Nationality  United States
Residence Floyds Knobs, Indiana, U.S.
Spouse Diane Thornton Zoeller
Children 3 daughters, 1 son
Career
College Edison Junior College (FL)
University of Houston
Turned professional 1973
Current tour(s) Champions Tour
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins 19
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 10
Champions Tour 2
Other 7
Best results in Major Championships
(Wins: 2)
The Masters Tournament Won: 1979
U.S. Open Won: 1984
The Open Championship 3rd: 1994
PGA Championship 2nd: 1981
Achievements and awards
Bob Jones Award 1985

Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller Jr. (born November 11, 1951) is an American professional golfer. He has won ten PGA Tour events. This includes two major championships in golf.

Fuzzy is one of only three golfers to win the Masters Tournament in their very first try. He also won the 1984 U.S. Open. For this win, he received the 1985 Bob Jones Award. This award celebrates great sportsmanship in golf.

A Golfer's Journey: Life and Career

Fuzzy Zoeller grew up in New Albany, Indiana. He was a talented golfer in high school. In 1970, he was runner-up in the state tournament. He even set a new state record for a low round score (67).

After high school, he went to Edison Junior College in Florida. Then he transferred to the University of Houston. In 1973, he became a professional golfer.

Fuzzy won both of his major championships in exciting playoffs.

  • In 1979, he won the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. He beat Ed Sneed and Tom Watson in a sudden-death playoff.
  • In 1984, he won the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. He won after an 18-hole playoff against Greg Norman.

In 1979, Fuzzy Zoeller made history. He was the first golfer since 1935 to win The Masters in his first appearance. Only two other golfers had done this before him. They were Horton Smith (1934) and Gene Sarazen (1935). Fuzzy's win was also the first sudden-death playoff at The Masters.

Fuzzy Zoeller during the 1980 Memorial Tournament - DPLA - c89760682841665666591152d5e81184
Fuzzy Zoeller hitting a shot during the 1980 Memorial Tournament.

Fuzzy was known for his fun personality. During the 1984 U.S. Open, Greg Norman made a long putt to tie Fuzzy. Fuzzy jokingly waved a white towel from the fairway. It looked like he was giving up! The next day, Fuzzy won the playoff by 8 strokes. Greg Norman then waved a white towel back at Fuzzy, returning the joke.

In 1985, Fuzzy Zoeller received the Bob Jones Award. This is the highest honor from the United States Golf Association. It celebrates excellent sportsmanship in golf.

In 1994, Fuzzy played very well at The Open Championship. He shared the lead after the third round. He finished the tournament in 3rd place. This was his best finish ever at The Open.

Fuzzy also played for the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup. He was part of the team in 1979, 1983, and 1985.

In 2002, Fuzzy joined the Champions Tour. This is for golfers aged 50 and older. He won the Senior PGA Championship that year. This is a major championship for senior golfers. He also won the 2004 MasterCard Championship.

Fuzzy was famous for his funny comments on the golf course. He would often joke with his fellow golfers. For example, he once asked, "Where are the windmills and animals?" about a new course. He also teased Craig Stadler about his shoes.

In 2009, Fuzzy Zoeller started his own vodka brand. It was called "Fuzzy's Vodka." From 2012, his brand sponsored a racing team. This team was Ed Carpenter Racing in the IndyCar Series.

Important Lessons and Apologies

At the 1997 Masters Tournament, Fuzzy Zoeller made some comments about Tiger Woods. These comments were seen as inappropriate by some people. Fuzzy later said he was trying to be funny. He said he was sorry if he offended anyone.

Another golfer, Tom Lehman, said that Fuzzy was known for joking. But he also said the comments were not in good taste. Fuzzy apologized directly to Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods accepted his apology. After this, some companies stopped sponsoring Fuzzy.

Amateur Wins (3)

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

Professional Wins (19)

PGA Tour Wins (10)

Fuzzy Zoeller won 10 tournaments on the PGA Tour. Two of these were major championships.

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other PGA Tour (8)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
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
2 Apr 15, 1979 Masters Tournament 70-71-69-70=280 −8 Playoff United States Ed Sneed, United States Tom Watson
3 May 17, 1981 Colonial National Invitation 67-69-68-70=274 −6 4 strokes United States Hale Irwin
4 Apr 18, 1983 Sea Pines Heritage 67-72-65-71=275 −9 2 strokes Canada Jim Nelford
5 Sep 18, 1983 Panasonic Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic 63-70-70-64-73=340 −18 4 strokes United States Rex Caldwell
6 Jun 18, 1984 U.S. Open 71-66-69-70=276 −4 Playoff Australia Greg Norman
7 Mar 10, 1985 Hertz Bay Hill Classic 70-72-66-67=275 −9 2 strokes United States Tom Watson
8 Feb 2, 1986 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 69-66-70=205* −11 5 strokes United States Payne Stewart
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
10 Jul 13, 1986 Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic 70-68-72-64=274 −10 2 strokes United States Jodie Mudd

*Note: The 1986 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

PGA Tour Playoff Record (2–2) Fuzzy Zoeller played in four playoffs on the PGA Tour. He won two and lost two.

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

Other Wins (4)

  • 1985 Skins Game
  • 1986 Skins Game
  • 1987 Merrill Lynch Shoot-Out Championship
  • 2003 Tylenol Par-3 Shootout

Champions Tour Wins (2)

Fuzzy Zoeller won two tournaments on the Champions Tour. One of these was a major championship for senior golfers.

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

Other Senior Wins (3)

  • 2002 Senior Slam
  • 2008 Wendy's Champions Skins Game (with Peter Jacobsen)
  • 2009 Wendy's Champions Skins Game (with Ben Crenshaw)

Major Championships

Wins (2)

Fuzzy Zoeller won two major championships.

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

1Defeated Sneed and Watson in a sudden-death playoff - 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

This table shows Fuzzy Zoeller's results in major golf championships over the years.

Tournament 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament 1
U.S. Open T38 T44 CUT CUT
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship T54 10 T54
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

style="background:#eeeeee;"|

     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 of Major Results

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

This table shows Fuzzy Zoeller's 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)

Fuzzy Zoeller won one major championship on the Champions Tour.

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

U.S. National Team Appearances

Professional

See also

  • 1974 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Fuzzy Zoeller Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.