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Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Golfer Known For Beating Tiger Woods Dead At 72
Golfer Known For Beating Tiger Woods Dead At 72 originally appeared on The Spun. A famous golfer known for beating Tiger Woods has died at 72 years old. Ed Fiori, known for his win against Tiger Woods at the 1996 Quad City Classic, passed away on Sunday. He died following a battle with cancer. Advertisement The PGA Tour announced his death. PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady announced the tragic news over the weekend. 'Ed Fiori was a true gentleman in our sport, and is a player who would often be referred to as a pro's pro," Brady said. "In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996. That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end. He will be missed by all of us at the Tour.' UNITED STATES - MARCH 11: Ed Fiori chips on to the 3rd green during the first round of the Champions' Tour 2005 SBC Classic at the Valencia Country Club in Valencia, California March 11, 2005. (Photo by)Fiori, nicknamed "The Grip" for his unusual grip of the golf club, won four times on the PGA Tour. However, he is now most known for chasing down Tiger Woods in 1996. Advertisement Woods held a lead over Fiori heading into the final round Quad Cities Classic at Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Illinois in 1996. However, Woods quickly imploded, making a quadruple-bogey at No. 4 and a four-putt double bogey at No. 7. Fiori ended up winning for the first time in 14 years. "There's no other way to put it: The kid self-imploded," Fiori told in 2019. He reportedly told his caddie, 'Bullet, let's see if we can get this one in to the house.' Our thoughts are with his friends and family members following this difficult time. May the former PGA Tour golfer rest in peace. Golfer Known For Beating Tiger Woods Dead At 72 first appeared on The Spun on Jul 7, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ed Fiori, known for taking down Tiger Woods, dies of cancer
FILE - Ed Fiori of Sugar Land, Texas, holds his trophy after winning the Quad City Classic at the Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1996. (AP Photo/Charles Bennett, File) FILE - Ed Fiori plays his tee shot from the 13th tee during the second round of the MasterCard Classic in Mexico City, Sunday, March 7, 2004. (AP Photo/Jaime Puebla, File) FILE - Ed Fiori plays his tee shot from the 13th tee during the second round of the MasterCard Classic in Mexico City, Sunday, March 7, 2004. (AP Photo/Jaime Puebla, File) FILE - Ed Fiori of Sugar Land, Texas, holds his trophy after winning the Quad City Classic at the Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 15, 1996. (AP Photo/Charles Bennett, File) FILE - Ed Fiori plays his tee shot from the 13th tee during the second round of the MasterCard Classic in Mexico City, Sunday, March 7, 2004. (AP Photo/Jaime Puebla, File) PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ed Fiori, who for 13 years was the only player to rally from a 54-hole deficit to beat Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour, died Sunday, the tour said on its website. He was 72. The tour said Fiori had been battling cancer. It provided no other details. Advertisement A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, no victory was more memorable than the 1996 Quad City Classic, now the John Deere Classic. Three tournaments into his pro career, a 20-year-old Woods had a one-shot lead over Fiori going into the final round at Oakwood Country Club. Woods had a quadruple bogey on the fourth hole and a four-putt double bogey on the seventh hole. He shot 72 to tie for fifth, four shots behind Fiori. Woods won two starts later in Las Vegas. He never lost a 54-hole lead in another PGA Tour-sanctioned event until Y.E. Yang beat him in the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Lee Westwood overcame a deficit to beat Woods in 2000 in a European tour event in Germany. Fiori also beat two other Hall of Fame members in playoffs, Tom Weiskopf in the 1979 Southern Open and Tom Kite in the 1982 Bob Hope Classic. Advertisement 'In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996. That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end,' said Miller Brady, president of the PGA Tour Champions. 'He will be missed by all of us at the tour.' Fiori played only 58 times on the senior circuit after turn 50, winning in 2004 in Mexico. 'I hung on for a few more years, and played for a while on the senior tour, but my back was always a problem,' Fiori said in a 2019 interview with "I had spinal fusion surgery in 2005, and from then on, I struggled to break 80. 'Don't feel sorry for me, though. I've had a great life in a game I love. It was never easy. Lots of times, I was on that flight heading home on Friday nights,' he said. 'But I would not trade it for anything. Even today, people call me the Tiger killer. They don't always get their facts straight, but I don't mind. I'll never forget that weekend at the John Deere.' ___ AP golf:
