You don’t forget a guy like Ed Fiori.

You remember him not just because he won four times on the PGA Tour or because he stopped a young Tiger Woods from claiming his first title. You remember him because he played like he lived: gritty, fearless, and always ready for a fight.

Fiori, the man they called “The Grip,” died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 72. His loss hit the golf world hard, not just for what he accomplished, but for how he carried himself through it all.

Ed Fiori Remembered For A Legendary Win Over Tiger Woods

Fiori’s name still echoes through golf circles, especially for what he pulled off back in 1996.

Tiger Woods, just 20 and already a force, was charging through the field at the Quad Cities Classic. But Fiori, then 43, wasn’t ready to stay in history books. He chased Woods down and took the win, delaying what would’ve been Tiger’s first PGA Tour victory. It’s still one of the sport’s great underdog moments.

PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady put it best.

“Ed Fiori was a true gentleman in our sport, and is a player who would often be referred to as a pro’s pro,” Brady said. “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 in every aspect of life, and I know he battled cancer with that same determination until the end.”

RIP Ed Fiori. Great pro. Not many beat Tiger in the final group… pic.twitter.com/dWIGkRKr3h

— Straight Down The Middle (@sdtmgolf) July 6, 2025

Before the Tiger moment, Fiori had already made his mark. He won the 1979 Southern Open, the 1981 Western Open, and the 1982 Bob Hope Desert Classic. He played college golf at the University of Houston, where he stood out with both talent and tenacity.

Fans loved him for being real. He wasn’t the flashiest. He didn’t always have perfect form. But he knew how to win. He knew how to fight. The golf world is a little quieter than on other days. One of its true warriors is gone. Ed Fiori didn’t just play the game. He left a dent in it.