Another Storm Gives Zoeller Pro-Am Title

Another storm struck the Monterey peninsula Monday, bringing with it fierce winds, heavy rain, hail, controversy and the cancellation of the final round of the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament, in that order.

So, in an anticlimactic finish, Fuzzy Zoeller won the 54-hole tournament by five strokes, shooting a 205, 11 under par. He shot 69 at Spyglass Hill, 66 at Pebble Beach and 70 at Cypress Point. Payne Stewart finished second at 210, and Tom Watson tied with Mark Wiebe and Tony Sills at 211.

Zoeller won a total of $114,000, including the $6,000 first prize in the pro-am competition. He and his partner, former professional Mike Evans, won it by four shots at 23 under par. Evans plays to a 4 handicap.

Nobody complained about the round being called off, least of all Zoeller who, despite losing two shots to par, still had a five-stroke lead when play was suspended at 11:10 a.m. as he was playing the ninth hole.

Pebble Beach was unplayable. Some of the holes looked like lakes, and virtually all the greens and bunkers were flooded.

But when the Monterey Peninsula Golf Foundation, which runs the tournament, ruled at first that the final round would be rescheduled today, many of the players were irate. They wanted the tournament canceled.

“The whole week has been a joke,” Hal Sutton said. “We’d like to do what you think we’d like to do. We’ve tried our best to play this tournament, and now we have another job to go to.”

Said John Mahaffey, a member of the players’ tournament committee: “Frankly, I’m surprised by the decision, and I wouldn’t think I’m a Lone Ranger on this. Many of the amateurs are businessmen and they have to get back to work. They can’t spend two weeks here to play a golf tournament.

But Mahaffey also said: “I’m not too sure this has all been finalized.”

He was right. Later, after another closed-door meeting, Lou Russo, the tournament director, announced that the tournament’s final round had been called off.

Then, as half a dozen pros listened, among them Sutton, Peter Jacobsen, Hubert Green and Raymond Floyd, Russo said that the full purse would be paid for the 54 holes.

Russo and Wade Cagle, PGA tournament supervisor, said that the players’ feelings had played no part in the cancellation.

“I don’t discuss these things with the players,” Cagle said.

Russo said: “No players came to us.”

Jacobsen, however, was seen taking aside Nathaniel Crosby, a member of the foundation committee and tournament co-host, and talking heatedly. When asked by a reporter what he had said, Jacobsen threw up his hands and said, “No comment.”

Cagle said he had toured the course and determined that it would take at least four hours of work Monday to get it playable and added, “In my judgment, it would not be ready tomorrow.

“We could play through Tuesday,” Cagle said, alluding to the tournament contract. “Also, we can call off a tournament after 54 holes and still get the full purse.”

Russo said that the committee changed its mind because the weather forecast for Tuesday did not look good. “At first it looked pretty good,” he said. “It cleared; the sun came out. But occasional showers are predicted for tomorrow and that’s what was predicted for today.”

What hit the peninsula, however, was a major storm. At first, about a 40-m.p.h. wind raked Pebble Beach. Rain followed in torrents, accompanied by thunder and lightning. At the peak of the storm, which caught many of the 3,000 spectators unprepared even for rain, it hailed.

Zoeller and Stewart, playing together, had hit two shots on the ninth hole when play was suspended. Both were about 40 yards short of the green on the par-4 hole, which was playing into the gale. Zoeller hit a driver and a 2-iron.

“Usually, it’s a drive and a 5-iron,” he said.

On the seventh hole, which is only 107 yards long, Zoeller and Stewart hit 6-iron shots. Zoeller hit his “quail high” (low) and made the green. Zoeller said that Stewart hit “a balloon,” and the wind blew it about 30 yards to the left of the green behind the eighth tee.

“It was the worst conditions I’ve ever played in,” Zoeller said. “It was miserable. It was crazy.”

Zoeller said he was not upset when he was told the round had been postponed and would be replayed today, even though it could have been costly to him.

“I’m just a player,” he said. “I don’t make those decisions. I just want to come back and beat Pebble Beach again. It beat us today.”

But, when pressed on the subject, he said: “Yes, if I were 10 shots back I’d be upset if I had to play tomorrow.”

When he got the news that the tournament was over and he was the winner, Zoeller was in the AT&T; hospitality house having a soft drink. “The Coke quickly went to a Scotch,” he said.

Zoeller is an engaging fellow with a quick wit. He is brash and outspoken. Reporters love him because he’s good copy. He is also a splendid golfer, even though some purists may say he drops his hands too low when he swings.

The swing has worked so well for him, however, he has won eight tournaments and $1,750,000 since joining the tour in 1975. He has also won the U.S. Open and a Masters championship.

He is an aggressive player. He doesn’t lay up. “I thrive on going onto the first tee with a hole in my stomach,” he said. “I like to have my gut jumping. I enjoy that feeling--if I can control it.”

The key to his victory, he said, was the par he had made on the 16th hole at Cypress Point Sunday. Instead of laying up, as many pros did, he went for the green with a 3-wood and made a par. “That gave me the momentum I need to win,” he said.

AT&T;, in its first major golf promotion, ran afoul of some dreadful weather, but it probably was happy with its first champion. Zoeller has been playing exhibitions for the company for a couple of years.