Forrest Fezler, a California native who played 12 seasons on the PGA Tour, died at his home in Tallahassee, Fla., of brain cancer at the age of 69.
Fezler, who was born in Hayward and grew up in San Jose, was best known for protesting the United States Golf Association’s dress code by wearing shorts for the last hole of the 1983 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
“I went brain dead for a few minutes of my life and it brought me publicity for 30-some years,” Fezler said of the incident. “I’m glad I did it.”
Roger Maltbie, an on-course analyst for NBC Sports and a five-time PGA Tour winner, said it’s unfortunate that people mostly remember Fezler for the shorts and not for his golf.
Maltbie and Fezler were teammates at James Lick High in San Jose, where Fezler also was the backup quarterback behind Jim Plunkett, who went on to win the Rose Bowl with Stanford and two Super Bowls for the Raiders.
“People just don’t know, but I know,” Maltbie said of his friend of more than 50 years. “I saw him as a kid, and I know he was a hell of a player. To be honest, it feels like a huge part of me kind of died, too. I’m at a loss. He meant the world to me in a lot of ways.
“He was such a good player as a young man, but he got compromised when a surgically-repaired wrist was not done right and never allowed him to do what he needed to do with the golf club.”
Said Kenny Knox, who won three times on the PGA Tour: “He was the greatest guy I’ve ever met.”
Fezler earned the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year Award in 1973, but his only victory came when he captured the Southern Open by one stroke over Sam Snead and Bruce Crampton in 1974, the same season he finished second to Hale Irwin in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
For his career, he finished second eight times.
As an amateur, Fezler beat defending champion Johnny Miller in the final of the 1969 California State Amateur, in addition to winning the Santa Clara County Championship and the California State Community College Championship the same year.
When injuries ended his playing career, Fezler served as head professional at Blackhawk Golf Club in Danville and created his own golf course design company.
Fezler’s most notable creation is Golden Eagle Golf Course in Tallahassee. He also worked on projects with Miller, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Fazio, among others, and helped with renovations on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach and the Palmer Course at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Fezler died of glioblastoma, the same type of cancer to the brain that killed former PGA pro Bruce Lietzke earlier this year.
