Ed Fiori, Who Took Down A 20-Year-Old Tiger Woods, Dies Of Cancer
Ed Fiori, who was the only player to overcome a 54-hole deficit to beat Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour for 13 years, passed away on Sunday at the age of 72, the tour reported on its website. Fiori had been battling cancer, though no additional details were provided.
Fiori, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, is best remembered for his victory at the 1996 Quad City Classic, now known as the John Deere Classic. At the time, Woods, just three tournaments into his professional career and only 20 years old, held a one-shot lead over Fiori going into the final round at Oakwood Country Club.
Woods experienced a quadruple bogey on the fourth hole and a four-putt double bogey on the seventh hole, ultimately shooting 72 and tying for fifth, four shots behind Fiori. Woods secured a victory two starts later in Las Vegas. He never again lost a 54-hole lead in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event until Y.E. Yang defeated him in the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine.
Lee Westwood also overcame a deficit to beat Woods in a 2000 European tour event in Germany.
Fiori triumphed over two other Hall of Fame members in playoffs: Tom Weiskopf in the 1979 Southern Open and Tom Kite in the 1982 Bob Hope Classic.
'In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he competed fiercely against future World Golf Hall of Fame members, particularly Tiger Woods in 1996. His determination and resilience in the face of daunting odds are truly admirable in all aspects of life, and he fought cancer with the same tenacity until the end," said Miller Brady, president of the PGA Tour Champions. 'He will be dearly missed by everyone at the tour."
Fiori played only 58 times on the senior circuit after turning 50, winning in 2004 in Mexico.
'I continued for a few more years and played on the senior tour, but my back was always an issue," Fiori said in a 2019 interview with Golf.com. 'I had spinal fusion surgery in 2005, and from that point on, I struggled to break 80.
'Don't feel sorry for me, though. I've enjoyed a great life in a sport I love. It was never easy. Many times, I was flying home on Friday nights," he said. 'But I wouldn't trade it for anything. Even today, people refer to me as the Tiger killer. They don't always have their facts straight, but I don't mind. I'll never forget that weekend at the John Deere."
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