Finally, Woods, Zoeller meet face to face
By RON SIRAK / AP Golf Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Tiger Woods is willing to forgive
Fuzzy Zoeller, but forgetting seems to be another matter.
Try as he might to say the incident is dead and buried, Woods
still seems troubled by the tone of Zoeller's racially insensitive
comments.
The two golfers spoke Tuesday for the first time since the
fried chicken and collard greens remarks at the Masters last month.
And while Woods said, "Now it's done, it's over," an
undercurrent could be felt beneath his words.
"Over time I think we will all see that it's an incident
that was good for golf," Woods said. "It will take some
time to understand it."
Woods, an Asian black in a overwhelmingly white professional
game, said he was not surprised a situation like this came up.
"I've had a lot worse that this," he said. "Hopefully,
I won't have a situation like this again, but that is highly unlikely."
Zoeller apologized and Woods accepted that apology, but Woods
was more concerned about what can be learned from the controversy
than in saying Zoeller meant no harm.
Woods said last week he was disturbed that Zoeller walked away
after saying the fried chicken remark, then turned and added,
"and collard greens, or whatever it is they serve."
He remained upset by it after their talk.
"I have a problem with anyone saying it in that tone,"
Woods said after the meeting. Woods said the meeting lasted 20
minutes and Zoeller placed it at 12 minutes.
"Fuzzy and I had a nice lunch and a nice conversation
and I found out some things I needed to know," Woods said
at Colonial Country Club, site of this week's PGA Tour event.
"Now I understand where he was coming from."
Zoeller, who tried at least twice to speak with Woods previously
but did not have his calls returned, said he was relieved to finally
have met with him.
"I did do apologies. I told him I meant no harm by it,"
said Zoeller, when asked if the "whatever it is they serve"
remark came up.
"I'm relieved," Zoeller said. "It's over. I
thought it was over three weeks ago. The only thing I'm upset
about is that I had to buy his lunch," Zoeller said, again
trying to play the incident for a laugh.
Woods indicated he saw the matter as a racial incident and
not as an innocent joke misinterpreted, as Zoeller maintained.
Zoeller's remarks were broadcast by CNN the Sunday after the
Masters and Zoeller apologized the next day. Woods accepted the
apology four days later in a statement faxed to news organizations.
Several golf insiders, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said there is resentment in the locker room that Woods waited
so long to accept the apology of Zoeller, a well-liked, 20-year
veteran of the tour.
"I wouldn't say resentment," Woods said, acknowledging
some tension. "They just questioned it. I just told them
I was brought into it; I didn't start it. I just want to play
golf."
Woods said he had not been avoiding Zoeller.
"We were going to meet face to face when we were at the
same tournament," he said. "And that was this week."
Asked if he and Zoeller might make a public appearance together
to clear the air, Woods said: "As of right now, I don't think
so. Maybe something might come up and we might explore than option."
Zoeller also hoped the game would benefit from this flap.
"We have a responsibility as professionals to turn this
into a positive," Zoeller said. "We've got the doors
open now. ... Let's joke about it."
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