Zoeller withdraws from tournament after controversial
comments
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Fuzzy Zoeller withdrew from the Greater
Greensboro Chrysler Classic today, saying he couldn't continue
playing golf until talking with Masters champion Tiger Woods.
Fighting back tears, Zoeller read a brief statement in which
he again apologized for calling Woods "that little boy"
and urging him not to request fried chicken and collard greens
at the Champions Dinner when he returns to Augusta National next
year.
He then shocked a crowd of reporters by withdrawing from a
tournament he has played in for 21 straight seasons.
"I started this, and I feel strongly that I have to make
things right with Tiger first before anything else," Zoeller
said.
"I also regret the distraction this has caused the world
of golf. What I said is distracting people at this tournament.
And that's not fair to the other people on this course trying
to play this tournament."
Zoeller said he was told not to answer any questions about
the controversy and left Forest Oaks Country Club with reporters
trailing.
On Tuesday, Kmart dropped its longtime sponsorship of the popular
golfer.
The Troy, Mich.-based company said the comments were inappropriate
and offensive, even though Zoeller said he was only joking during
an interview with CNN shortly after the final round at the Masters
on April 13.
"Regardless of the context, they are contrary to Kmart's
longstanding policies that ensure our words and deeds are without
bias," Kmart said in a statement.
Zoeller, who issued a public apology in a statement Monday,
apologized again Tuesday to the acting president of the North
Carolina chapter of the NAACP while in Greensboro for this week's
PGA Tour event.
"People who know me know I'm a jokester. I just didn't
deliver the line well," Zoeller said. "I'm in a no-win
situation. Accept my apology, please. I apologized to Tiger. I
apologize to anyone I might have offended."
Skip Alston of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People accepted Zoeller's apology, but also threatened
a boycott of the tournament.
"He didn't insult only Tiger Woods, but the entire African-American
community nationwide," Alston said, adding that Zoeller's
comments weren't "funny to us. You don't pick at our culture
and expect us to laugh."
"It's a tough situation and I feel bad for Fuzzy very
much," fellow golfer Mark O'Meara said today. "I know
he feels bad. He is taking it very well, but he's hurting pretty
hard because he feels he's always been up front with the media
and the media has always been good to Fuzzy and then all of the
sudden - boom - this happens."
The Greensboro Jaycees, who run the PGA tournament, issued
a statement dissociating the organization from Zoeller's comments.
But they went ahead with a long-planned tribute to the golfer
Tuesday night because he played in the tournament 22 years in
a row.
Alston said the Jaycees statement was "trying to sugarcoat
their position about Mr. Zoeller." Alston said the NAACP
might hold a protest during the tournament.
Kmart avoided the prospect of corporate embarrassment by cutting
its links to Zoeller after reviewing the comments he made in the
CNN interview.
"That little boy is driving well and he's putting well,"
Zoeller told CNN about an hour after finishing his round at Augusta,
while Woods was still on the course completing a 12-stroke victory.
"He's doing everything it takes to win. So, you know what
you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and
say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried
chicken next year. Got it?"
Zoeller snapped his fingers, turned to walk away, then added,
"Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve."
Woods, as defending champion, will get to select the menu for
the Champions Dinner next year.
Kmart spokeswoman Shawn Kahle declined to say how much Kmart
paid Zoeller for the sponsorship and to have the golfer promote
its products. The company has sponsored him for more than six
years under a contract that originally was scheduled to expire
in December 1998.
Under his deal with Kmart, Zoeller carried the company logo
on his golf bag and visor and also appeared at Kmart events. He
was the only pro golfer sponsored by Kmart.
Woods was in Portland, Ore., on Tuesday for private meetings
with Nike, his major sponsor. A local television station showed
him outside Nike headquarters shooting a promotional spot in which
company chairman Phil Knight served as his caddy.
Woods was not available to the media for the second day in
a row, and Nike spokesman Jim Small said he had no comment on
Kmart's decision.
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey that will be broadcast
on Thursday, Woods said it bothers him when people call him an
African-American. He is one-fourth black, one-fourth Thai, one-fourth
Chinese, one-eighth white and one-eighth American Indian.
"Growing up," he said, "I came up with this
name: I'm a 'Cablinasian.' "
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