Bay Hill Golf : Fuzzy Zoeller Finds His Third Tournament After Back Surgery a Charm

Refusing to wilt despite 84-degree heat and a mighty challenge from Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller strung together four birdies on the front nine Sunday to shoot a 67 and claim a two-stroke victory in the $500,000 Bay Hill Classic.

Zoeller, who started the day tied for the lead with Curtis Strange at 208, five-under par, was playing in just his third tournament since undergoing back surgery Sept. 25. The defending U.S. Open champion rejoined the PGA Tour two weeks ago, finishing 46th in the Doral Open. Zoeller, 33, tied for 20th in last week’s Honda Classic, but finished the rugged 7,103-yard Bay Hill course at 275, nine under par, for his seventh triumph on the tour.

Watson, who was unable to better par in his final six holes, finished at 277 after a 67, and Mark Lye was alone in third at 278 after closing with rounds of 68 and 67.

“To be just three weeks out on the tour and get a win is a great feeling,” said Zoeller, who took a winner’s check of $90,000. “I feel wonderful right now. . . . I’m on cloud nine. Anytime you beat these guys it’s exciting. I don’t think you’ll find four tougher finishing holes anywhere--they’ll bring out the man in you.”

Zoeller, who followed rounds of 70 and 72 with a 66 Saturday, opened the final round with a birdie at No. 1 and also birdied No. 3. At the sixth hole, where he had had a double bogey-7 on Saturday, he registered a birdie to go 8-under. A birdie on No. 7 helped him make the turn at 32. On the back nine, Zoeller was a model of steadiness with nine pars.

Watson was in a group of four at 210 entering Sunday’s play and he opened with an eagle-3 at No. 1. Birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 put him at seven-under-par, but a bogey-5 at No. 9 gave him a 33 on the front side. A birdie at 12 pulled Watson within two shots of Zoeller, but the winner of 31 PGA events never came any closer.

“I didn’t have a real good shot at birdie over those final six holes,” Watson said. “The closest I came to the pin was about 30 feet.”

Lye, who began the final round three strokes behind Zoeller and Strange, birdied four of his first five holes, but a bogey at 14 dropped him four shots off Zoeller’s blistering pace. Strange birdied No. 1 to match Zoeller at six-under, but bogeys at No. 4 and No. 7 left last week’s Honda Classic winner tied with Larry Nelson five strokes behind Zoeller at the turn. Birdies at 12 and 17 offset bogeys at 14 and 18 as Strange finished in a tie with Bill Glasson and midway leader Paul Azinger for fourth place at 281.

Japan’s Kikuo Arai finished at 283, one-under par, after a final-round 67. Defending champion Gary Koch shot a 285 while Hal Sutton finished at. Sutton, who had a hole-in-one at 17 on Thursday, soared to a 76 in the third round, but closed with a 68.