Zoeller halts Norman’s run

Press, 20 June 1984, Page 60

Zoeller halts Norman’s run

NZPA-AP Mamaroneck, New York The play-off for the United States Open golf championship lasted three hours, 15 minutes. But it was over in 23 minutes.

Fuzzy Zoeller yesterday made himself the beneficiary of a three-stroke swing on the second hole at Winged Foot, applied unrelenting pressure to the struggling Greg Norman and scored a record-break-ing, eight-shot triumph in the American national championship. “I didn’t want to leave any doors unlocked,” Fuzzy said. He had a five-shot lead at the turn and never let

up. Zoeller, a happy-go-lucky sort who frequently whistles while he works, subdued the tough old course in the northern suburbs of New York with a 3-under-par 67 against Norman’s play-off round of 75. On a course that is considered possibly the toughest that is played in the Open, Zoeller shot the best score recorded in a play-off for the championship. “I beat it,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow I go out and it eats my lunch. But for five days I beat Winged Foot.”

He also beat Norman by the largest margin ever recorded in an 18-hole Open play-off, and by the largest margin of any 18-hole playoff in any of golf’s recognised four major championships, which includes the Masters, British Open and P.G.A.

“I feel hollow. Disappointed and hollow,” said Norman. “To come so close

and in the end be so far away ...” He let the sentence trail off unfinished.

“I gave it my best shot but my best shot wasn't good enough. Now. I’ll try to come back and win the British Open. “I’m going to come out of this with a positive attitude. I learned something. I learned I tried too hard, and you can’t do that. “The next time, maybe I can turn it into victory. “I think I can win a major championship. And I think it will happen in the not-too-distant future,” said the long-hitting Australian. Norman provided the greatest drama of regulation play when he dropped a breaking, across-the-green putt of 15m on Sunday to save par on the 72nd hole and force the play-off. But, long as that putt was, Zoeller made one of even greater distance in the play-off. After both players had birdied the first hole in a misting rain, Norman drove into the rough on the second, couldn’t reach the green and chipped on in three.

Zoeller put his approach on the back right of the green. The distance later was measured at 20.74 m.

He tapped the downhill putt then stood, and watched and waited as the ball, moving slowly over the wet green, rolled inexorably toward the cup and died in the hole for a birdie.

Fuzzy simply lifted both hands and his eyes towards the dark and gloomy skies as if to say “thank you.”

“I wasn't trying to make it,” Zoeller said. "I was just trying to get it within 6-7 feet. If I’d done that, I’d have been very happy.” The shaken Norman then 3-putted from six metres for a double bogey. “If he hadn’t made it, I’d probably have 2-putted,” Norman said.

It was a 3-shot swing, a 3stroke lead for Fuzzy. And. at that early point, it was all but over.

Both players bogeyed the third.

Fuzzy’s leading margin went to four when Norman bogeyed the fourth from a bunker, and to five when Norman failed to get up and down from another bunker on the eighth. By the ninth, the rain had stopped and Fuzzy’s lead remained at five. It then was simply a matter of how large the margin might be. Zoeller dropped an 8.2 m downhill birdie putt on the 14th hole while Norman once again bogeyed. That gave Zoeller a seven stroke lead with four holes to play.

As they approached the 18th, Norman, joking, waved a white towel at Fuzzy, just as Zoeller had done the day before after Norman’s great putt. The sixth victory of Zoeller’s 10-year P.G.A. tour career was worth $94,000 (about $NZ148,429) and increased Zoeller’s earnings for the year to $154,442 (about $NZ243,869). Norman, who had won more than 30 tournaments around the world before he settled in the United States last year, took some consolation from a $47,000 ($NZ74,214) cheque.