Frank “Fuzzy” Zoeller Jr., the two-time major champion known for his quick wit and steady play, has died at the age of 74.
Zoeller made history at Augusta in 1979 when he became the last player to win the Masters on his first attempt, prevailing in a three-man playoff. He added a second major at the 1984 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, a tournament remembered in part for his dramatic 18-hole playoff victory over Greg Norman after mistakenly celebrating with a white towel when he believed he had lost.
Over his career Zoeller won two major titles, eight other PGA Tour events and captured the Senior PGA Championship among his two PGA Tour Champions victories. He also appeared with his daughter Gretchen in the PNC Championship in later years.
Zoeller’s legacy was complicated by a racially insensitive remark he made about Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters. He apologised publicly and later said the episode haunted his career, writing in Golf Digest in 2008 that it was “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life.”
Born in New Albany, Indiana, Zoeller was christened Frank Urban Zoeller Jr.; his father—nicknamed “Fuzzy”—passed the moniker to him. He played at a junior college in Florida, then joined the powerhouse University of Houston golf team before turning professional.
Zoeller was awarded the USGA’s Bob Jones Award in 1985, the organisation’s highest honor for sportsmanship. He was married to his wife Diane until her death in 2021 and is survived by three children.
He will be remembered for his on-course accomplishments, his engaging personality, and a career that included both celebrated highs and public lows.