ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Thursday, April 24, 1997               TAG: 9704240067
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: B-8  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C.
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

ZOELLER WITHDRAWS FROM EVENT `I AM THE ONE WHO SCREWED UP AND I WILL PAY THE PRICE'

Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller pulls out of this week's PGA tournament in Greensboro, N.C., after making racially insensitive remarks about Masters champion Tiger Woods.

Choking back tears, Fuzzy Zoeller withdrew from this week's PGA tournament, saying he wanted to apologize personally to Tiger Woods for racially insensitive remarks he made about the Masters champion.

``I am the one who screwed up and I will pay the price,'' Zoeller said Wednesday in pulling out of the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic.

The surprising move came one day after Kmart severed its ties with Zoeller because of his remarks.

Zoeller, 45, said he couldn't continue playing competitive golf until talking with the 21-year-old Woods, who on April 13 became the first black to win a major.

``I am trying to reach him and he's a very hard man to get ahold of,'' Zoeller said.

For the third straight day, Zoeller read a statement apologizing 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.

Zoeller then shocked the crowd of reporters by withdrawing from the tournament.

``I started this, and I feel strongly that I have to make things right with Tiger first before anything else,'' he 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 refused to answer questions and left Forest Oaks Country Club with reporters trailing.

On Tuesday night, the Greensboro Jaycees, the tournament's organizers, honored Zoeller for his loyalty to the event.

The popular Zoeller, himself a Masters champion in 1979, had played here 21 straight years, including when Kmart was the title sponsor from 1988-95. Only Hot Springs native Sam Snead has played in more (34).

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement that Zoeller ``recognizes that the comments he made at Augusta were inappropriate, unacceptable and deeply offensive to a great many people.''

``By making this additional statement, I think he demonstrated how deep his concerns are regarding the inappropriateness of these comments,'' Finchem said.

Before making his statement, Zoeller consulted with Davis Love III, one of four golfers on the PGA Tour policy board.

``He is a big kidder out here and he's not meaning to harm anyone or hurt anybody and everybody associated with the tour knows Fuzzy for what he is and always enjoys his ribbing and kidding,'' Love said.

Love said he hoped Woods and Zoeller would hook up soon and put the controversy behind them.

``I wouldn't expect Tiger to know how to handle this situation, but I would expect some people that are working with him to know how to handle it,'' Love said. ``Tiger is his own man, he's as much caught up in it as Fuzzy. I think Tiger is as much uncomfortable with this as Fuzzy.''

Woods, who was in Portland, Ore., on Tuesday for private meetings with Nike, was not available to the media for the second day in a row.

Kmart, based in Troy, Mich., avoided the prospect of corporate embarrassment by cutting its ties to Zoeller after reviewing the comments he made in the CNN interview, which was first broadcast a week after the Masters.

``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.

LENGTH: Medium:   87 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  ASSOCIATED PRESS. Fuzzy Zoeller tells a news conference 
          in Greensboro, N.C., that he won't play tournament golf again until 
          he's had a chance to explain his recent comments to Tiger Woods. 
          color.