Fuzzy Zoeller made a series of racially insensitive “jokes” about Tiger Woods during the 1997 Masters, focused on stereotypical Black Southern foods and referring to Woods as “that little boy.”

What Zoeller Said in 1997

  • Speaking to CNN as Woods was cruising to his historic Masters win, Zoeller said:
    “That little boy is driving well and he's putting well. He's doing everything it takes to win.”
  • He then added that when Woods returned as defending champion, people should congratulate him and “tell him not to serve fried chicken next year” at the Masters champions’ dinner.
  • As he walked away, he snapped his fingers, smiled, and added “or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve,” extending the same stereotype.

These remarks were immediately criticized as racist and racially insensitive, and the incident has followed Zoeller’s public reputation ever since.

Fallout and Apologies

  • The backlash was intense enough that Zoeller withdrew from the next PGA Tour event, saying he needed to apologize personally to Woods and that his comments had become an unfair distraction.
  • Zoeller later described it as a “joke that went bad” and said he had “paid his dues” for the remark, while multiple retrospectives on his life and career still describe him as “haunted” by that 1997 comment.
  • Woods, through a statement, called the remarks “unfortunate” and “out of bounds” but said he believed Zoeller did not harbor personal animosity and that it was “time to move on,” after Zoeller apologized.

How People Talk About It Today

  • Modern coverage and forum discussions often frame this as a defining early example of public pushback against racially charged “jokes” in sports, especially given Woods’ status as a young Black superstar transforming golf in the late 1990s.
  • When later controversies around similar “fried chicken” comments in golf arose, Zoeller’s remark was frequently cited as the reference point for what not to say, underscoring how much the 1997 incident remains part of the conversation.

TL;DR: In 1997, Fuzzy Zoeller “joked” on TV that Tiger Woods should not serve fried chicken—or “collard greens or whatever the hell they serve”—at the Masters champions’ dinner, comments widely condemned as racist and that deeply tarnished Zoeller’s legacy.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.