Ed Fiori
Encyclopedia
Edward Ray Fiori is an American
professional golfer
who has played on the PGA Tour
and the Champions Tour
.
Fiori was born in Lynwood, California
. As a youth, Fiori would sneak through a barbed wire fence to a nine-hole course near his Downey, California
home to practice his game. He attended the University of Houston
where he played on the golf
team. He turned pro in 1977 and joined the PGA Tour in 1978.
Fiori won four tournaments on the PGA Tour. His first win was at the 1979 Southern Open. His last victory at the 1996 Quad City Classic led to the postponement of his plans to retire from the game and become a charter-boat captain. Fiori's previous PGA tour victory was 14 years earlier, at the 1982 Bob Hope Desert Classic. Fiori's victory at Quad Cities denied a young rookie named Tiger Woods
his first title. This would be the only time in his career that Woods would fail to win with an outright 54-hole lead until Y. E. Yang
outplayed him in the 2009 PGA Championship
.
At 5 feet 7 inches tall and 220 pounds, Fiori is a stocky man; and in recent years has been plagued with a host of weight-related health problems that have affected his play and limited his playing time, including spinal fusion surgery. Fiori is nicknamed "The Grip" because of his unusually strong grip on the club. He lives in the Houston
suburb of Sugar Land, Texas
.
PGA Tour playoff record (2-0)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who has played on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
and the Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
.
Fiori was born in Lynwood, California
Lynwood, California
Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 69,772, down from 69,845 at the 2000 census. Lynwood is located near South Gate and Compton in the southern portion of the Los Angeles Basin. Incorporated in...
. As a youth, Fiori would sneak through a barbed wire fence to a nine-hole course near his Downey, California
Downey, California
Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter lived and died...
home to practice his game. He attended the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
where he played on the golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team. He turned pro in 1977 and joined the PGA Tour in 1978.
Fiori won four tournaments on the PGA Tour. His first win was at the 1979 Southern Open. His last victory at the 1996 Quad City Classic led to the postponement of his plans to retire from the game and become a charter-boat captain. Fiori's previous PGA tour victory was 14 years earlier, at the 1982 Bob Hope Desert Classic. Fiori's victory at Quad Cities denied a young rookie named Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
his first title. This would be the only time in his career that Woods would fail to win with an outright 54-hole lead until Y. E. Yang
Yang Yong-eun
Yang Yong-eun , or Y. E. Yang, is a South Korean professional golfer currently playing on the PGA Tour, where he has won twice, including most notably the 2009 PGA Championship where he held off the challenge of Tiger Woods during the final round....
outplayed him in the 2009 PGA Championship
2009 PGA Championship
The 2009 PGA Championship was the 91st PGA Championship and was played from August 13–16 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. Prior to 2009 the last major played at Hazeltine was the 2002 PGA Championship, won by Rich Beem. The 2009 course is notable for having a greater length...
.
At 5 feet 7 inches tall and 220 pounds, Fiori is a stocky man; and in recent years has been plagued with a host of weight-related health problems that have affected his play and limited his playing time, including spinal fusion surgery. Fiori is nicknamed "The Grip" because of his unusually strong grip on the club. He lives in the Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
suburb of Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
.
PGA Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 14, 1979 1979 PGA Tour The 1979 PGA Tour season was played from January 11 to October 28. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Tom Watson won the most tournaments, five, and there were 11 first-time winners. The tournament results and award winners are listed below.... |
Southern Open | Playoff |  Tom WeiskopfTom Weiskopf Thomas Daniel Weiskopf is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. His most successful decade was the 1970s, and he won 16 PGA Tour titles between 1968 and 1982. After winding down his tournament career, Weiskopf has become a noted golf course... |
|
| 2 | Jul 5, 1981 1981 PGA Tour The 1981 PGA Tour season was played from January 8 to October 25. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Bill Rogers won the most tournaments, four, and there were five first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament results:The... |
Western Open Western Open The Western Open, a professional golf tournament, was first played in 1899. At the time of its 2006 playing, the Western Open was the 3rd oldest active PGA Tour tournament, after the British Open and U.S. Open... |
4 strokes | Jim Colbert Jim Colbert James Joseph Colbert is an American professional golfer.Colbert was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended Kansas State University, where he finished second in the NCAA golf championships in 1964, before graduating and turning professional in 1965.Colbert won eight times on the PGA Tour,... , Greg Powers, Jim SimonsJim Simons (golfer) James Bradley Simons was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s.... |
|
| 3 | Jan 17, 1982 1982 PGA Tour The 1982 PGA Tour season was played from January 7 to October 31. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Calvin Peete, Craig Stadler, and Tom Watson won the most tournaments, four, and there were five first-time winners... |
Bob Hope Desert Classic | Playoff | Tom Kite Tom Kite Thomas Oliver Kite, Jr. is an American professional golfer and golf course architect. He spent 175 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1989 and 1994.... |
|
| 4 | Sep 15, 1996 1996 PGA Tour The 1996 PGA Tour season was played from January 4 to October 28. The season consisted of 44 official money events . Phil Mickelson won the most tournaments, four, and there were 13 first-time winners. The season notably featured the first Tour win for Tiger Woods... |
Quad City Classic | 2 strokes | Andrew Magee Andrew Magee Andrew Donald Magee is an American professional golfer who played for more than 20 years on the PGA Tour.Magee was born in Paris, France, where his father, a Texas oil man, was working at the time. He grew up in Dallas, Texas. Magee attended the University of Oklahoma from 1981–1984... |
PGA Tour playoff record (2-0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | Southern Open | Tom Weiskopf Tom Weiskopf Thomas Daniel Weiskopf is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. His most successful decade was the 1970s, and he won 16 PGA Tour titles between 1968 and 1982. After winding down his tournament career, Weiskopf has become a noted golf course... |
Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1982 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | Tom Kite Tom Kite Thomas Oliver Kite, Jr. is an American professional golfer and golf course architect. He spent 175 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1989 and 1994.... |
Won with birdie on second extra hole |
Champions Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 7, 2004 2004 Champions Tour The 2004 Champions Tour was the 25th season since the Champions Tour officially began in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour. The season consisted of 30 official money events with purses totalling $53,932,400, including five majors. Craig Stadler won the most tournaments, five... |
MasterCard Classic MasterCard Classic (Champions Tour) The MasterCard Classic was a golf tournament on the Champions Tour from 2000 to 2004. It was played in late February/early March in Mexico, first in Puebla for two years and then in the Mexico City area. It was the first Champions Tour event in Mexico.... |
Playoff |  Graham MarshGraham Marsh Graham Vivian Marsh MBE was one of the leading Australian professional golfers of his generation.-Career outline:Marsh was born in Kalgoorlie, Australia... |