PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Ed Fiori, a four-time PGA Tour winner celebrated for his stunning victory over a 20-year-old Tiger Woods at the 1996 Quad City Classic, passed away on Sunday, July 6, 2025, at the age of 72, the PGA Tour announced.

Fiori had been battling cancer, though no further details were provided. His death, coinciding with the final round of the 2025 John Deere Classic — the modern iteration of the Quad City Classic — cast a somber note over the golf community as it remembered one of its most resilient figures.

Fiori, nicknamed “The Grip” for his powerful hand strength, was a journeyman golfer whose career was defined by grit and an ability to rise to the occasion against the game’s biggest names.

Born on April 21, 1953, in Lynwood, California, he played college golf at the University of Houston, contributing to the Cougars’ 1977 NCAA Championship team under coach Dave Williams. Turning pro later that year, Fiori went on to win the 1979 Southern Open, 1981 Western Open, and 1982 Bob Hope Desert Classic, defeating Hall of Famers Tom Weiskopf and Tom Kite in playoffs for two of those titles.

Fiori’s most iconic moment came at the 1996 Quad City Classic, now known as the John Deere Classic, at Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Illinois. At 43, Fiori was a veteran facing a lean season with nine missed cuts in his first 10 events. Paired with Woods, who was in his third professional start and held a one-shot lead after 54 holes, Fiori found himself overshadowed by the young phenom and the massive galleries cheering for him.

“I knew the crowd was pulling for Tiger, but in a way, I was, too,” Fiori said in 1996. Yet, he refused to be intimidated, noting that playing alongside Woods “raised my intensity a little bit.”

Woods faltered in the final round, carding a quadruple bogey on the fourth hole and a four-putt double bogey on the seventh, finishing with a 72 to tie for fifth.

Fiori, despite an opening bogey, closed with a 4-under 67, capitalizing on Woods’ mistakes to win by two shots over Andrew Magee. The victory, Fiori’s fourth and final PGA Tour title, ended a 14-year winless drought and cemented his place in golf lore as the only player to rally from a 54-hole deficit to beat Woods on the PGA Tour until Y.E. Yang did so at the 2009 PGA Championship.

“Kind of like the grass snake getting the cobra,” Fiori quipped with a smile, reflecting on the upset.

Fiori’s triumph was all the more remarkable given his struggles that year.

“I never thought I’d be in this position again,” he said at the time. “I just sent in my application for Tour Qualifying School this week.”

His caddie, “Bullet,” had urged him to stay focused, and Fiori’s steady play under pressure, despite being outdriven by Woods by nearly 50 yards, earned him the nickname “Tiger Killer” among fans, a moniker he embraced with humility.

“Ed Fiori was a true gentleman in our sport, a player often referred to as a pro’s pro,” said Miller Brady, president of the PGA Tour Champions.

“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, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end.”

Fiori, who stood 5-foot-7 and weighed 200 pounds, was known for his competitive spirit despite physical challenges. After turning 50, he played 58 events on the PGA Tour Champions, winning the 2004 MasterCard Classic in Mexico. However, chronic back issues, culminating in spinal fusion surgery in 2005, limited his career, and he struggled to break 80 thereafter.

Fiori’s legacy endures not only for his victories but for his humility and perseverance. “Even today, people call me the Tiger Killer,” he said in 2019. “They don’t always get their facts straight, but I don’t mind. I’ll never forget that weekend at the John Deere.”

As the PGA Tour moves to the Genesis Scottish Open and the British Open, Fiori’s story remains a testament to the underdog spirit that defines golf’s greatest moments.