Ed Fiori

Started playing the game at age seven, he lived next to a course that he would sneak on. Despite being chased off most of the time, he persisted, thanks to friends and neighbors giving him clubs to play with. After High School, he worked odd jobs in construction and didn't attend college for four years. He played in a tournament in Mexico and got into a playoff with Craig Stadler and Jack Renner. Even though he lost to Stadler, the University of Houston liked what it saw and recruited him. In his second year, Houston won the NCAA team title, and Fiori was named to the All-American team. He dropped out of Houston in the spring of 1977, played in a few mini-tour events and earned his Tour card in Q-school. In his first year on tour (1978) he finished 109th on the money list. Fiori showed improvement in 1979 climbing to 65th on the money list, but the year was capped off with his first victory in the Southern Open when he defeated Tom Weiskopf in a playoff. . . Other Victories: 1984 Jerry Ford Invitational, an unofficial event. . . Nicknamed �?�The Grip�?� because of his overly strong grip.. . . Was planning to retire from golf and become a charter-boat captain but canceled his plans when he won 1996 Quad City. It was 14 years, 8 months and 2 days between victories, only Butch Baird who went 15 years, 5 months and 10 days had a longer drought. . . Has had injuries in the '90s including a foot injury in 1994, a rotator cuff problem in 1995 and had surgery on his back in 1996. . . Played in 587 PGA Tour events finishing in the top-10, 37 times. Last top-10 finish was his win at the 1996 John Deere Classic.
2003 Champions Tour Summary: Tournaments entered -18; top 10 finishes -2; stroke average 71.38 (ranked 45th); money $260,810 (ranked 54th); Best finish, T-6th FleetBoston Classic.