[ MASTERCARD CHAMPIONSHIP ]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fuzzy Zoeller sank a birdie putt on the 18th hole at the 2004 MasterCard Championship in Ka'upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.
Zoeller back in
winner’s circleHis 8-under 64 in the final round
is good for a one-shot victory
over Dana Quigley
KA'UPULEHU-KONA, HAWAII >> It has been more than a year since Fuzzy Zoeller has been in the winner's circle.
One year, seven months and 16 days to be exact.
But if you hear Zoeller tell it, he's a winner every day he gets to play golf.
"I win every day out there," said Zoeller after he fired a final-round 8-under-par 64 yesterday to finish at 196 for a one-stroke victory in the $1.6 million MasterCard Championship at the Hualalai Golf Club. "I've had three back surgeries and I'm still walking and I'm still playing the game, so I'm winning."
MasterCard Championship
Hualalai Golf Club. Yardage: 7,153; Par: 72
FINAL-round
1. Fuzzy Zoeller -20 2. Dana Quigley -19 T3. Craig Stadler -18 T3. Doug Tewell -18 5. Tom Purtzer -16 6. Jack Nicklaus -15
Zoeller's victory didn't come easy.
He had to hold off defending champion Dana Quigley, second-round leader Doug Tewell and Craig Stadler.
Quigley finished second after he fired a 7-under 65 that put him at 197 for three days. Stadler was two shots behind the winner after he matched the course record with a 63 to finish in a tie for third with Tewell, who got to 18 under at the 14th but couldn't make anything happen down the stretch.
Even Jack Nicklaus threatened late when he sank a 32-foot birdie putt on No. 15 to go to 15-under.
"I had a good week," Nicklaus said.
"I holed some good putts. I drove the ball well. It has been a long time since I was in contention and it's been fun."
But when Zoeller, who was playing in the twosome ahead of Tewell, birdied the 410-yard, par-4 18th -- his third straight -- he closed the door on all challengers.
"Hats off to Fuzzy," said Quigley, who pocketed $161,000.
"Every time I made a birdie, he topped it. When he made one I topped it. It was as much fun as I had out here playing.
"I played well enough to win," added Quigley, who had another bogey-free round with seven birdies. "Gosh, I shot 19-under. If somebody told me I was going to get 19 starting the week, I would truly believe that would be the winner. I have no regrets. I played as well as I can. I went for every shot that I could. Win, lose or draw it was the greatest. It was as good as I can play. Fuzzy just made one more putt that I did.
"If I didn't win it wasn't meant to be."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Doug Tewell blasted out of a bunker on the 15th hole during yesterday's final round of the MasterCard Championship.
All eyes were on Tewell at the start of yesterday's final round.
Holding a two-shot lead on the star-studded 39-man field, Tewell was challenged after the first two holes when Dave Eichelberger moved into a tie for first with birdies on Nos. 1 and 2. But Tewell regained the top spot with a birdie on the 422-yard, third hole. Zoeller, meanwhile, went on a birdie binge to get himself in contention. Starting off the day three shots behind Tewell, Zoeller made five straight birdies, beginning on No. 3, to get to 16 under, where he stayed at the turn.
"I wish I could pinpoint one thing I did great, one thing I did bad, but it just seemed the whole week just jelled," said Zoeller.
It became a four-man horse race on the back nine.
Stadler put himself in the picture after birdies on Nos. 10, 11 and 14 put him at 17 under. Quigley, not to be left behind, also got to 17 with birdies on the 10th, 13th and 15th. Zoeller followed suit when he got to the same number with a birdie on No. 10, while Tewell went one better than the trio with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 to get to 18 under.
The Walrus then sank a 7-foot putt on No. 18 to tie for the lead at 18 and give the other three a number to shoot for.
"I played good, drove the ball well, and hit a few suspect iron shots but made some putts and gave myself a lot of opportunities," said Stadler.
That number didn't stand up very long.
Both Quigley and Zoeller birdied the tough 440-yard, par-4 No. 16 as well as the picturesque 164-yard, par-3 17th to lower the number to 19.
Then it became a matter of who could birdie the 410-yard, par-4 closing hole.
At the end, it proved to be Zoeller.
"I don't look at my career as by bringing home trophies," said Zoeller, who won for only the second time on the Champions Tour. "Trophies are beautiful, but as long as I'm out there doing what I enjoy doing for a living, hell I'm winning. I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world.
"Like I said, after three back surgeries and I'm still playing this great game and it's still fun to me, that's a trophy to me."
Hale Irwin fired his third round in the 60s (69) to finish in a tie for 19th with Larry Nelson and Don Pooley at 206. Tom Watson, meanwhile, checked in with a 6-under 66 yesterday for a 212. Gary Player pumped in a 4-under 68 in the final round to finish at 214, and Lee Trevino was at even par yesterday for a three-day total of 216.
Arnold Palmer, 74, shot his second straight 75 yesterday to bring up the rear at 227.
