Ed Fiori won four times during his career on the PGA Tour and imfaoulsly chased down an up-and-coming Tiger Woods to secure the Quad Cities Classic title in 1996
Ed Fiori passed away aged 72(Image: Getty Images)
Tributes have poured in for PGA Tour stalwart Ed Fiori after the four-time champion passed away following a battle with cancer earlier this week.
Fiori died at the age of 72, having enjoyed a successful career across both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. He most infamously chased down the great Tiger Woods at the 1996 Quad Cities Classic (now the John Deere Classic), winning the title having started the final round one shot behind the 15-time major champion.
It was his fourth and final victory on the PGA Tour before he went on to add more silverware to his resume at senior level, winning the 2004 MasterCard Classic on the Champions Tour.
Paying tribute to the golfing star, Champions Tour President Miller Brady said: “In three of his four wins on the PGA Tour, he dueled down the stretch with future World Golf Hall of Fame members, most notably Tiger Woods in 1996.
“That grit and resolution in the face of immeasurable odds is incredibly admirable in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end. He will be missed by all of us at the Tour.”
The tributes did not stop there for Fiori as one of his fellow former players, Mark Lye, tweeted: “Very sad day as my friend of many years, Ed Fiori, passed away. Ed was a 4 time winner on the PGA Tour, and had a huge heart in this game. He will be missed by many. RIP Eddie, and may God bless your family.”
Fans to took the opportunity to pay tribute to the four-time winner, many tipping their hat to his ability to chase down Woods 29 years ago. One posted on X: “Fiori hit his driver about as far as most tour players hit their 4 irons today.
https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/1942340857547383261
“But he’ll always hold a special footnote in golf history as the first of just two men to chase down Tiger when he held the outright 54-hole lead in a tournament. RIP ‘Easy Ed’.” A second then added: “RIP Ed Fiori. I remember him chasing down Tiger in ‘96.
“He was last in distance off the tee on tour at the time. Averaged 238.9 yards in 1996. Found out today 2 of his other 3 wins he beat Weiskopf and Kite. Impressive. RIP Ed ‘The Grip’ Fiori.” His ability to pip Woods in his final Tour win saw him become only the second player in PGA Tour history to chase down Woods in a final round.
Looking back at his battle with the 82-time winner, Fiori said at the time: “You kind of root your playing partner on, he roots for you, and maybe you can feed off each other and keep it going. Playing with Tiger kind of raised my intensity a little bit. It brought my game up with it, I guess.”