Champion golfer Frank Urban Zoeller, known as Fuzzy, was born in Indiana in 1951. He attended the University of Houston, home to a long list of great golfers, and joined the PGA Tour in 1973. He won two major championships on the PGA Tour and another major on the Senior Tour, now called the Champions Tour. A colorful and outgoing golfer, Zoeller had many fans, but he waded into a hornet's nest of controversy with comments about Tiger Woods at The Masters in 1997 that many felt were racist.
PGA Career
Zoeller had an outstanding career on the PGA Tour. He won 10 tournaments and more than $5.4 million in prize money. Two of those victories came at The Masters and the U.S. Open. Zoeller was known for his penchant for talking with galleries and kidding his fellow competitors, but he was also a great athlete in the clutch, saving some of his best performances for the biggest stages in golf.
Major Championships
Zoeller won his first major at the 1979 Masters to become just the third person to win the prestigious event in his first appearance at Augusta National. He did it in dramatic fashion, winning on the second hole of a playoff. In 1984, Zoeller tied for the U.S. Open with Greg Norman, memorably waving a towel as a white flag after Norman sunk a long birdie putt to force a playoff. In the playoff, Zoeller was at his best, beating Norman by 67 to 75 strokes. As a senior golfer on the Champions Tour, Zoeller won the Senior PGA Championship in 2002.
Controversy
Zoeller's reputations took a major hit at the 1997 Masters. Woods won the tournament easily, and after it was over, Zoeller stopped to talk with reporters. With a drink in his hand, Zoeller said of Woods, "That little boy is driving well and he's putting well. ... You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve friend chicken next year (at the champion's dinner). Got it?" Zoeller then smiled, snapped his fingers, turned to go and then turned back and said, "Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve." Zoeller was branded as a racist in many quarters. He apologized to Woods, but it cost Zoeller a lucrative endorsement deal with K mart.
Late Career
As of May 2011, Zoeller was still active on the Champions Tour, although he hasn't had a top 10 finish since 2009. Zoeller is very active in charity work, corporate golf outings, and golf course design. Fuzzy's Charity for Kids has raised more than $2 million for children in the Kentucky and Indiana area. He also helped create Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka in 2009. The Fuzzy's Vodka brand sponsored a car in the 2010 Indianapolis 500.
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