Gary McCord
| Gary McCord | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
|
McCord in October 2008 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Gary Dennis McCord |
| Born |
May 23, 1948 San Gabriel, California |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st) |
| Nationality |
 United States |
| Residence |
Paradise Valley, Arizona Edwards, Colorado |
| Spouse | Diane |
| Children | Krista |
| Career | |
| College | UC Riverside |
| Turned professional | 1971 |
| Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 3 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| Web.com Tour | 1 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 2 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T54: 1984 |
Gary Dennis McCord (born May 23, 1948) is an American professional golfer, commentator, author, and actor.
Early life and career
McCord was born in San Gabriel, California and raised in southern California, graduating from Ramona High School in Riverside. He was a two-time Division II All-American for the UC Riverside Highlanders of the University of California, Riverside.[1] He won the NCAA Division II individual championship in 1970[2] and turned professional in 1971.
McCord played in 400 PGA Tour events, but never won. His best two finishes on the PGA Tour were at the Greater Milwaukee Open, placing second in both 1975 and 1977. During his years on tour, he had nearly two dozen top-10 finishes.
McCord was involved in an embarrassing episode during the 1984 FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis. When lining up a putt on the 15th green, McCord's pants split open, exposing his backside as he was not wearing any underwear. McCord wrapped a towel around his midriff, and went off to find a replacement pair of pants. Eventually Peter Jacobsen offered McCord his rain pants for a "fee" of $20.[3]
McCord credits golf pro Brad Britton for teaching him the ins and outs of the golf swing and especially the mental game.
Broadcasting and writing career
At age 37 in 1986, McCord joined CBS Sports as a golf analyst, a capacity in which he still serves. He is noted for his outspokenness, a trait that has seen him barred from the CBS commentary team for The Masters.
During the network's Masters coverage 22 years ago in 1994, McCord remarked that the 17th green was so fast that it seemed to be "bikini-waxed", and that "body bags" were located behind that green for players who missed their approach shots. Several months later, Augusta National Golf Club used its influence with CBS to have him removed from the Masters commentary team.[4][5] While McCord has continued to cover virtually all other golf events aired by CBS, he has yet to return to Augusta with the network. He was not the first CBS commentator to be banned: Jack Whitaker referred to the gallery at the end of the 18-hole playoff in 1966 as a "mob" rather than "patrons" and was banned for the next five Masters; he was allowed to return in 1972.[6]
Aside from his CBS commentary duties, McCord also plays a limited schedule on the Champions Tour. After turning 50 in May 1998, he won his first title at the Toshiba Senior Classic in March 1999, and also won that year's Ingersoll-Rand Senior Tour Championship. Back in 1991, he won the Gateway Open on the Ben Hogan Tour, the second-tier tour in the U.S., now called the Web.com Tour.
McCord has also written two books, Just a Range Ball in a Box of Titleists and Golf for Dummies. In 1996, he appeared as himself in the Kevin Costner movie Tin Cup, a movie which he states is based on his life.[7] He and fellow CBS commentator Peter Kostis are partners in the Kostis/McCord Learning Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. McCord formerly served as a co-announcer on the EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour series[8] along with David Feherty.
Personal life
McCord lives with his wife, Diane, in Paradise Valley, Arizona and Edwards, Colorado.
Amateur wins
Professional wins
Nationwide Tour wins
Champions Tour wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 14, 1999 | Toshiba Senior Classic | 65-68-69=204 | −14 | Playoff | Allen Doyle, Al Geiberger, John Jacobs |
| 2 | Nov 7, 1999 | Ingersoll-Rand Senior Tour Championship | 71-74-64-67=276 | −12 | 1 stroke | Bruce Fleisher, Larry Nelson |
Champions Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | Toshiba Senior Classic | Allen Doyle, Al Geiberger, John Jacobs |
Won with birdie on fifth extra hole Doyle and Geiberger eliminated with eagle on first hole |
| 2 | 2000 | LiquidGolf.com Invitational | J. C. Snead, Tom Wargo |
Wargo won with birdie on third extra hole Snead eliminated with par on first hole |
| 3 | 2002 | Turtle Bay Championship | Hale Irwin |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
References
- ↑ "Chancellor To Present Gary McCord With Alumni Award Of Distinction". Retrieved July 5, 2010.
- ↑ "NCAA History - Division II Champions". NCAA. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
- ↑ Zullo, Allan and Rodell, Chris, "Golf is a Funny Game", Andrew McMeels Publishing, Forest Fairview, North Carolina, 2008.
- ↑ "McCord wants Masters return". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, GA. Associated Press. September 9, 1994. p. 5B.
- ↑ "History of the Masters golf tournament on TV (1956–present)". Classic Sports TV and Media. April 9, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
- ↑ Rothenberg, Fred (April 12, 1979). "Jack Whitaker's welcome now". Boca Raton News. Associated Press. p. 2B.
- ↑ http://www.golfchannel.com/media/feherty-mccord-preview-042312/?cid=facebook_V_feh_MCCORDSNEAKPEEK_042312
- ↑ "Game Info". EA Sports. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
External links
- Gary McCord's Homepage
- Gary McCord at the PGA Tour official site
- Grayhawk Learning Center (formerly Kostis~McCord Learning Center)