sight, jumps back, away from the green. Fuzzy laughs, says, "I got more control than that," and drops his shot about a foot from the cup: That's golf with Fuzzy Zoeller. It's a game, and he does his best to make it fun. "Golf needed Fuzzy," says Coach Szalay. "It needed a shot in the arm to get back on track.
Fuzzy gave it that." The shot in the arm Fuzzy gave golf gave professional sports was administered at the U.S. Open last year. Zoeller stood in the fairway of the 18th hole at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, N.Y., and watched Greg Norman, playing ahead of him, drain a 40-foot downhill putt from off the green for a par that kept him in a tie for the lead with Zoeller. Fuzzy's response was to grab the white towel off the side of his golf bag and wave it, as though in surrender. "I'll be honest with you," Fuzzy recalls.
"I thought he made birdie. And I'm thinkin', the man makes a putt like that he almost deserves to win. Because the 18th hole at Winged Foot is not a hole that you birdie. I figured that's the topper. That's just the topper to Then Fuzzy grabbed a club and went about his business.
He parred the hole, keeping himself in a tie, and won the next day in an 18-hole playoff. But his gesture out in the fairway, saluting a worthy opponent, caught the imagination of everybody who witnessed it. His show of sportsmanship was lauded in the press, and the enthusiasm of the playoff gallery was such that marshalls had trouble keeping order. Fuzzy says now that he wasn't conscious at the time of doing anything special for golf or for sports. "We were just doin' our thing, enjoying what we do best.
It could happen anywhere, but it just happened to be at the Open. But the thing is, Greg and myself, we would hope it would look like fun because we both enjoy doing what we do for a living. And we're friends. But he wants to beat me, and I want to beat him. Golf has always been called a gentleman's game.
And deep down, it's still the gentleman's game." At dinner in a Ft. Myers restaurant, after finishing his golf for the day, Fuzzy is being good, eating broiled fish, drinking light beer, sticking to his diet and talking about golf. "I don't thrive on winning. If I beat the 70th guy on the list, I've beaten somebody. I always try to be whatever I can.
Do my best. Then if my score is good enough to win the tournament, then that's a big bonus. "I'm not the best golfer out there, but the difference between who is successful on the tour and the guy who is not may be taking one shot. I'll take that chance. I might make an 8 or a 9 that'll cost me a tournament, but I'm still gonna give myself that opportunity to win.
A lot of guys don't do that. There's no greater feeling than to have a 10-footer to win. Even if you miss it. Just to have the chance. You work your butt off to get there, and you just want the opportunity.
FAMILY WEEKLY APRIL 14 1945 5 "I guess I'd like to be remembered as do it for a living, it's still a game." everybody in the place to hear. "We a guy who enjoyed his living, a guy who Dinner's over and one of the restau- want you to make a lot of these this enjoyed being on the golf course, who rant's owners heads over to Fuzzy's year," handing Fuzzy the birdie. enjoyed the game of golf. Now remem- table. He's got a parrot on his shoulder.
Fuzzy looks at it and says, "Is this an ber what I said: Even though "Fuzzy," he bellows loud enough for eagle?" PW MARTS SCORCHILA 1 man for whom the Sp.ace r. 1. IS DEFER A AD SI in-t another heme. Les their Launched America from German Inture in NORMAL GRAN AND WILL Grant returned at here to the 1 stranger to hi- wile. MOLT JOHN AND PEN ANY The American engineer Could his passion tor the 11 ho the future ot greater than his the p.ac progr.at.
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