Famed Golfer Who Bested Tiger Woods Dead at 72
Ed Fiori, whose claim to fame included four PGA Tour wins but none more important than a massive come-from-behind win to beat a young Tiger Woods, has died. He was 72.
The tour announced Fiori's tragic death saying only that he was battling cancer.
“Ed Fiori was a true gentleman in our sport, and is a player who would often be referred to as a pro’s pro," said PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady. "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.”
Fiori's instant classic moment came in 1996 when he faced a 54-hole deficit at the Quad City Classic (now the John Deere Classic) in 1996. Woods was only 20 years old at the time and only three tournaments into his professional career.
The two faced off at Oakwood Country Club with Woods holding on to a one-shot lead over Fiori going into the final round. Going into that tournament, Fiori had struggled, missing the first five cuts of the 1996 season. In Coal Valley, Illinois, all eyes were zeroed in on Woods, who just weeks earlier had left Stanford and amateur golf.
"Going into the final round, Fiori, from personal experience, knew that Woods would blow his tee shots 75 to 80 yards past Fiori’s. He chose not to watch Woods’ shots, instead focusing on anything but the prodigy. Fiori bogeyed the first hole, falling two strokes behind. Woods birdied the second hole to Fiori’s par to take a three-shot advantage," the PGA Tour recounted. "The script seemed ready to play out as most people expected. The young hotshot would pull away and win his first tournament, while the journeyman pro faded away.
"Then came the fourth hole. Woods made a quadruple-bogey 8, and suddenly, Fiori, glancing at a leaderboard, found him a stroke in the lead. Woods eventually faded, making a double bogey at the seventh and bogeying two more holes coming in. He shot a 2-over 72 to fall into a tie for fifth."
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"With Woods faltering, Fiori still had to battle Steve Jones and a hard-charging Andrew Magee, who posted an 8-under 62 and was the leader in the clubhouse after starting the day eight back. All Fiori did was make five birdies after that opening bogey and play his final 17 holes in 4-under to beat Magee by two shots," the tour recalled.
Fiori's Quad City Classic remarkable win proved to be his final win on the PGA Tour. The Lynwood, California native would go on to compete in the PGA Tour Champions circuit, winning the 2004 MasterCard Classic.
Fiori played his collegiate career at the University of Houston, where he earned second-team All-American honors his junior year. He was the team's best player the following year, leading the Cougars to the 1977 NCAA national golf championship over Oklahoma State.