Wednesday 3 April 2019 19:26, UK
One of the golden rules at Augusta National is supposed to be that first-time participants do not win The Masters.
Going into the 1979 edition only two men had achieved that feat - Horton Smith, who won the first Masters in 1934, and Gene Sarazen who triumphed in 1935 after not competing the year before.
So Fuzzy Zoeller, then aged 27, stunned the golfing world when he prevailed after a play-off on his debut in the 1979 Masters.
The American had claimed his first career victory in San Diego less than three months earlier, but rounds of 70, 71, 69 and 70 were good enough to put him in a three-way tie for the lead on eight under after 72 holes.
Tom Watson and Ed Sneed, who bogeyed the final three holes, joined Zoeller on that score, as Jack Nicklaus and Tom Kite both slipped up late in their rounds, to force the first sudden-death play-off at Augusta.
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All three players parred the first play-off hole - the 10th - after missing birdie putts, and it was Zoeller who took his second chance at the 11th by holing an eight-foot birdie putt to claim the title.
"I've never been to heaven and thinking back on my life I probably won't get the chance to go. I guess winning the Masters is as close as I'm going to get," said Zoeller when later reflecting on his victory.
