Fuzzy Zoeller, two-time major winner haunted by racist Tiger Woods joke, dies aged 74
Fuzzy Zoeller, the two-time major champion whose genial public persona was overshadowed by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods that came to define the latter part of his career, has died aged 74.No cause of death was immediately available.Brian Naugle, tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston and a longtime colleague, said Zoeller’s daughter notified him of the death on Thursday.Zoeller, born Frank Urban Zoeller Jr in New Albany, Indiana, was one of golf’s most outgoing characters across a career that delivered historic highs.He was the first player in more than four decades to win the Masters on his debut, claiming the 1979 green jacket after a three-man playoff.
Five years later at the US Open at Winged Foot, he outlasted Greg Norman in an 18-hole Monday playoff after famously waving a white towel from the fairway, believing Norman had just holed a birdie putt to beat him.It turned out to be a par, and Zoeller won by eight shots the next day.US president Donald Trump, who often praised Zoeller, posted a tribute on Truth Social.“Very sad to hear that the highly respected and beloved Professional Golfer, Fuzzy Zoeller, has passed away,” he wrote, citing Zoeller’s major victories and calling him “a truly remarkable person and player”.But for all of Zoeller’s success and easygoing charm, it was the 1997 Masters that irrevocably altered his standing in the sport.
As Woods marched toward a transformative, record-breaking victory at Augusta National, a relaxed Zoeller – drink in hand – was stopped by a CNN crew near the clubhouse and asked for his thoughts.His reply, delivered with a smile and a snap of his fingers, sparked immediate outrage.“That little boy is driving well and he’s putting well,” Zoeller said, before adding that Woods should be congratulated, then joking that officials should “tell him not [to] serve fried chicken next year … or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.”Zoeller apologized, but the blowback only grew as it took Woods two weeks to address the remarks while traveling.Zoeller later said he received death threats for years.
In Golf Digest in 2008, he called it “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life,” adding: “If people wanted me to feel the same hurt I projected on others, I’m here to tell you they got their way.”He said he had “cried many times” and offered “countless” apologies for words he described as a misguided attempt at humor that did not reflect who he was.“Still, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this incident will never, ever go away.”Zoeller’s playing record extended well beyond his two major triumphs.He won eight additional PGA Tour titles, captured two PGA Tour Champions victories including a Senior PGA Championship, and represented the United States in three Ryder Cups.
Known for playing quickly and whistling between shots, he cultivated an image of a player who both competed hard and relished the walk.His 1979 Masters win remains one of Augusta’s most enduring debuts.Arriving as a first-time competitor, he reached a playoff after Ed Sneed bogeyed the final three holes.On the second extra hole, Zoeller stiffed his approach to six feet and rolled in the winning birdie, tossing his putter skyward in celebration.“I’ve never been to heaven,” he once said.
“I guess winning the Masters is as close as I’m going to get.”At Winged Foot five years later, he believed Norman’s 40-plus-foot par putt on the 18th was a birdie that had beaten him and responded with a theatrical white-towel wave from the fairway.After an official told him the score, Zoeller forced the playoff and dominated, though he later joked that he regretted giving away the now-famous towel.Zoeller played college golf first at Edison Junior College and later at the University of Houston, then a powerhouse programme.He turned professional in 1973.
His wife, Diane, died in 2021,He is survived by three children, including his daughter Gretchen, with whom he often played in the PNC Championship,He was awarded the USGA’s Bob Jones Award for sportsmanship in 1985,
Diaries, artworks and more to be auctioned from Marianne Faithfull’s personal belongings
Diaries and a gift from actor Carrie Fisher are among the personal items from Marianne Faithfull that are going up for auction in London.The musician died in January aged 78, leaving behind a cache of fascinating portraits, photographs and ephemera from a glamorous, sometimes troubled life. “Each piece tells a story and reflects her spirit and inimitable taste,” her son Nicholas Dunbar said. “It is time now for these belongings to find new homes and I hope that they will bring as much joy to their new owners as they did Marianne.”The diaries include one from 1959 when Faithfull was in her early teens, and a 1989 journal entitled Goals
Donald Glover reveals he had a stroke on Childish Gambino tour in 2024
Donald Glover, who performs under the name Childish Gambino, has revealed he had a stroke last year which forced him to cancel world tour dates.At the time the 42-year-old said he was dealing with an “ailment” after performing in New Orleans and had gone to a hospital in Houston, where he discovered he needed surgery. He subsequently postponed, then entirely cancelled the remainder of his US tour, as well as all of his UK, European and Australian dates, writing: “Unfortunately, my path to recovery is taking longer than expected.”While performing at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Glover told the audience that he’d had a stroke.“I was doing this world tour,” he said
‘He was just trying to earn a few kopecks’: how newly translated stories reveal Chekhov’s silly side
Few writers are as universally admired as Chekhov. As Booker winner George Saunders puts it, “Chekhov – shall I be blunt? – is the greatest short story writer who ever lived.” Novelists from Ann Patchett to Zadie Smith cite him as an inspiration. His plays The Seagull, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard still pack out theatres internationally. In the past year alone, Andrew Scott wowed audiences in his one-man Vanya for London’s National Theatre and Cate Blanchett took on the role of Arkadina in The Seagull at the Barbican
From Wicked: For Good to Stranger Things: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
Ariana Grande sparkles in the concluding part of the Wicked Witch tale, and the first batch of final episodes of the retro sci-fi juggernaut are unleashedWicked: For GoodOut nowWas the decision to split this Broadway musical big-screen adaptation into two parts motivated by art or money? Part two is here, so you can judge for yourself. The Wizard of Oz-inspired story picks up with defiant “Wicked Witch” Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) living in exile, while Glinda (Ariana Grande) relishes her own popularity.The Thing With FeathersOut nowMax Porter’s novel Grief Is the Thing With Feathers gets the big-screen treatment, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role as the dad who must raise his two young children alone after his wife dies unexpectedly. With David Thewlis as the voice of the crow who appears to him.The Ice TowerOut nowMarion Cotillard stars as a star: an actor called Cristina, who is playing the beautiful Snow Queen in a 1960s adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic that also inspired Frozen
From The Death of Bunny Munro to Wicked: For Good: the week in rave reviews
Matt Smith is the ultimate bad dad in a Nick Cave novel adaptation, and the Oz prequel musical reaches the end of the road. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviewsNow & SkySummed up in a sentence A bleakly tender adaptation of Nick Cave’s novel about a hugely troubling father-and-son road trip, featuring a brilliant turn from Matt Smith.What our reviewer said “As a study in masculinity, in men handing on misery to men, deepening like a south coastal shelf as Bunny and son drive towards doom, it is as timely – for all, alas, that the book was written over a decade ago – as it is illuminating.” Lucy ManganRead the full reviewFurther reading ‘Matt Smith is so hot it’s problematic’: inside the TV version of Nick Cave’s disturbing, sex-filled novelBBC iPlayerSummed up in a sentence The documentary exposé that rocked Denmark – a mob lawyer turns whistleblower and reveals a devastating trail of corruption.What our reviewer said “It would be an understatement to say that The Black Swan made an impact on Danish viewers
Kristen Bell and Brian Cox among actors shocked they’re attached to Fox News podcast
The Fox News announcement of a new podcast series on Jesus Christ has turned into a bizarre holiday tale in Hollywood, as several actors attached to massive, 52-episode project claim their recordings date back 15 years and are being released without their prior knowledge.The new audiobook titled The Life of Jesus Christ Podcast, announced on Wednesday as part of a splashy rollout for the network’s new Christian vertical called Fox Faith, purports to guide listeners “through the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus Christ”, with each episode introduced by Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt.The announcement boasted that more than 100 actors had signed on to participate in the project, with a voice cast including Kristen Bell as Mary Magdalene, Sean Astin as Matthew, Neal McDonough as Jesus, Brian Cox as the Voice of God, Malcolm McDowell as Caiaphas, John Rhys-Davies as the narrator and Julia Ormond as Mary.But reps for Bell claim that the actor was blindsided by the announcement, as she had recorded the audio 15 years ago. She only learned that Fox planned to release a podcast with her name attached the day before the announcement, when her team received an invitation to appear on Fox & Friends the following day, her reps told Rolling Stone
How to turn the dregs of a jar of Marmite into a brilliant glaze for roast potatoes – recipe | Waste not
What’s the secret to great chocolate mousse? | Kitchen aide
The small plates that stole dinner: how snacks conquered Britain’s restaurants
‘Alicante cuisine epitomises the Mediterranean’: a gastronomic journey in south-east Spain
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for spiced paneer puffs with quick-pickled carrot raita | Quick and easy
Chef Skye Gyngell, who pioneered the slow food movement, dies aged 62