My favorite Ryder Cup memory: Fuzzy Zoeller

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We asked several Champions Tour players to share their favorite memories from the Ryder Cup. What did Fuzzy Zoeller say was his favorite moment?

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All I know it gives you a lot of pride to make a Ryder Cup team. A lot of pride goes into that. I had a lot of great coaches (captains) in Billy Casper, Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus. I absolutely had a blast and it was a great experience, not only as an athlete but also having the opportunity to play for your country. That's where all the pressure is at.

It's something that you dream about as a young player. That's one of your goals, that as well as winning a major championship or having the opportunity to play at Augusta. Yes, the Ryder Cup was very big in our hearts way back then.

The one memory that stands out came in 1983 when we played down at Palm Beach Gardens. I'll be honest with you, I couldn't even walk I was hurting so bad. That was when my back was really bothering me before I had all the back surgeries. Jack (Nicklaus) kept looking at me and I'm taking this Butazolidin like they were aspirin. I think I took about 10 a day just to be able to walk without too much pain. I wasn't sure I could play the singles match. I didn't practice or do anything. Jack looked at me and asked me if I think I could go and I said I'll try and he put me out there first. I drew Seve Ballesteros and battled him for 18 holes and we got a half point and we ended up winning by one point. There were a lot of good memories on those teams and it was a lot of fun.