Tag: Gary McCord

Gary McCord tells an all-time Mac O’Grady story from the time he got his PGA Tour card after 17 failed attempts at PGA Tour Q-School

Q-School: It will mess with your head.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — When PGA Tour Q-School begins Thursday, expect there to be stories of heartache and jubilation at golf’s ultimate pressure-cooker. Arguably the best Q-School story of all time involves Mac O’Grady, and comes courtesy of Gary McCord.

McCord played a major role in rallying support for the Tour’s move in 1983 to the top 125 All-Exempt Tour. Previously, the magic number was top 60. In some sort of poetic justice, McCord lost his card by a matter of a few thousand dollars and had to go back to Q-School, held at TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass CC, in late 1982, just as it will be this week. (One of the primary differences is that only top 5 and ties will get a card this time.)

McCord made it. So did O’Grady, who, despite opening with rounds of 79-76, earned his card for the first time in 17 attempts. Recounting the story to Golfweek, McCord said, “I invited him to dinner. I said, ‘Let’s go celebrate.’ He said, ‘No, I’ve got something to do.’ ”

Save Ballesteros (left) is given a lesson by Mac O”Grady (holding video camera) as caddie Billy Foster shelters him from rain during a practice round before the start of the 1994 Masters. (Steve Munday/ALLSPORT)

Months passed and McCord sees O’Grady and, out of curiosity, asked him what he did that night after making his card at last.

“He told me he went down to the sporting goods store and bought 17 Louisville Slugger baseball bats, got a Sharpie, and wrote the date and location of every time he failed (Q-School), then waited until dark and went behind the second green at the TPC and broke all 17 of those bats against a pine tree,” McCord recalled. “He said, ‘I got rid of the demons.’ I just went ‘OK.’ Whether he did it or not, I don’t know. But I bet he probably did.”

Q-School: It will mess with your head.

Gary McCord flipped this Scottsdale condo for a $2.5 million profit after buying it just four years ago

The former CBS Sports commentator was a winner in a recent real estate transaction in Arizona.

Although Gary McCord played in more thana 400 PGA Tour events, he never found the winner’s circle. But the former CBS Sports commentator certainly turned up on the right side of a real estate transaction in his adopted home of Arizona.

According to a blurb in the Arizona Republic, part of the same USA Today Network that runs Golfweek, McCord and his wife Diane recently sold their condo in the Kierland area of Scottsdale for $5 million.

Drs. Christopher and Irene Biggs paid cash for a Scottsdale penthouse in the Kierland area. The 4,059-square-foot condominium with three bedrooms and 3 ½ bathrooms has a private elevator, a 210-bottle glass wine wall, electronic window shades, custom chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling windows and a waterfall marble kitchen island. Gary and Diane McCord sold the home. Gary is a professional golfer and commentator.

The sale netted a 100 percent profit since the McCords purchased the home for $2.5 million in 2019. The property overlooks Kierland, a 27-hole spread in North Scottsdale.

At the recent Arizona Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the Class of 2023, McCord was among the attendees as he was on hand to support his former CBS colleague and current podcast partner Peter Kostis, with whom he runs the Kostis/McCord Learning Center.

“I brought him here to Arizona,” McCord told Golfweek of his relationship with Kostis. “I knew him from the Tour and him teaching a lot of the guys. He got tired of Florida so I called him and I said, ‘You wanna come down [to Arizona]? I got a new place called Grayhawk. I’m going to start a golf school there, and I have no idea what to do.’

McCord and Kostis both left CBS after the end of 2019 after their contracts were not renewed. These days, the duo has a YouTube channel called “Kostis and McCord: Off their Rockers.”

Here’s a look at the property that McCord recently sold:

Gary McCord talks PGA Tour vs. LIV, Ryder Cup road woes for the U.S. and good buddy Peter Kostis in this Golfweek Q&A

Golfweek caught up with the opinionated funnyman to discuss the state of pro golf.

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — Gary McCord has opinions. Not breaking any news here, but the long-time golf commentator is one of those guys that if you can get a microphone in front of, chances are you’re going to get a few gems.

The recent Arizona Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the Class of 2023 at Paradise Valley Country Club was a chance for many decision-makers, influencers, players past and present and more to mingle, and McCord was among the attendees.

Wearing a slick, patterned white sport coat and his signature mustache, McCord, 75, was first asked the obvious question: Why are you here?

“Peter,” he said. “Kostis. We’re buddies. We were at CBS for 30 something years. I brought him here to Arizona.”

Kostis was one of four inductees in the Class of ’23, including former PGA Tour player Howard Twitty as well as Judy McDermott and Wade Dunagan, two stakeholders who were influential in the grass roots of the game in southern Arizona.

McCord seemingly knows everyone, but it was Kostis that McCord spoke the most about. Does he remember the first time they met?

“Yea. We were doing the Ryder Cup in 1989. Can’t remember where it was,” he admitted. “It was a road game. We had a team over there for USA Network and he was on the team and so we started hanging.”

Did the two of you two hit it off right away?

“Yea. I knew him from the Tour and him teaching a lot of the guys,” McCord said. “He got tired of Florida so I called him and I said ‘You wanna come down [to Arizona]? I got a new place called Grayhawk. I’m going to start a golf school there, and I have no idea what to do.

“He said ‘Let me think about it’, and then he said ‘Yea, I’ll do it’ and he moved out here.”

McCord and Kostis both left CBS after the end of 2019 after their contracts were not renewed. These days, the duo has a YouTube channel called “Kostis and McCord: Off their rockers.”

Here’s the rest of Golfweek‘s chat with Gary McCord.

Why was CBS golf analyst Gary McCord banned from covering the Masters golf tournament?

McCord was barred from covering the yearly event at Augusta National over comments he made on a broadcast way back in 1994.

The question seems to pop up every year around the Masters golf tournament: Who was the CBS sportscaster who was banned from covering golf’s marquee event?

The answer is (now former) CBS golf analyst Gary McCord, who worked as a golf commentator for CBS for 33 years.

Known for his outspoken demeanor and curly handlebar mustache, McCord was barred from covering the yearly event at Augusta National over comments he made on a broadcast way back in 1994.

Here’s the tale of the tape, as told by a 2013 article by USA TODAY Sports:

In case you missed his offending remarks at the 1994 Masters, they went like this: Augusta’s 17th green was so fast it could have been “bikini-waxed,” while things were even worse for players whose approach shots went behind that green — then they’d be stuck out with the “body bags.”

Though it hasn’t explicitly been confirmed that those off-color comments are the reason McCord wasn’t welcomed back, it didn’t appear as though the broadcast veteran had any hard feelings about the decision.

McCord has never definitively heard how the ban came about — or even if it was really based on the bikini and bag comments. “I don’t know, I really don’t,” he says. “And Augusta really doesn’t have to explain. It could be, ‘We don’t like him, he’s out.’ It’s their tournament. And I agree with everything they’ve done.”

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According to an archived article from The Denver Post, the rationale was that McCord got “banned from announcing the Masters because the Augusta National hierarchy still hasn’t quite warmed up to his irreverent humor.”

And while McCord didn’t disagree with Augusta’s decision to ban him, he was somewhat puzzled by a separate but related decision, per USA TODAY Sports’ piece:

“I still can’t believe David Feherty is still there,” McCord said with a laugh.

Feherty, another controversial (now former) CBS golf analyst known for his humor, sarcasm and outspokenness, worked the Masters tournament for 19 years. He parted ways with CBS back in 2015.

CBS golf commentator David Feherty during the third round of the 2015 Wyndham Championship golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club. Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports.

Though Feherty was permitted to cover the event at Augusta National, unlike McCord, he spoke candidly about the fit between his personality and the tournament, per a 2018 piece from the Desert Sun.

“It’s such a different event,” Feherty said. “To be honest with you, I never felt comfortable there.”

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The 20 highest single-hole scores in PGA Tour history

Sometimes, even the greatest golfers can have a bad hole. See who has had the worst.

You think that snowman that just went on your scorecard looks bad?

There have been far worse scores posted – even from the professionals on the PGA Tour.

This list takes a closer look at the highest numbers ever posted in official events. Some of the names may surprise you, some may be golfers you’ve never heard of and some of these are likely to make you say ‘Oh, yea. I remember that.’

This list is based on data from the PGA Tour. Without further adieu, these are the 20 highest single-hole scores in history and names of the pros who own them.

Gary McCord on broadcasting The Match III: ‘I’m just going to follow along and try to keep throwing kerosene on the fire’

Gary McCord will be on hand for The Match III: Champions for Change. He broke down the players and the course with Adam Schupak.

The producers of Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Change deserve a raise for plucking Gary McCord out of retirement to serve as one of the on-course commentators for the upcoming made-for-TV match pitting Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley against Peyton Manning and Steph Curry.

McCord, a journeyman Tour pro turned golf commentator for CBS Sports for 35 years, is the right combination of glib, wacky and flat-out funny to keep the conversation light and the laughs coming. He’s also played enough golf with Sir Charles, known for his ungainly hitch in his swing, over the years to predict that Mickelson will have his work cut out for him.

“This will be the greatest coaching exhibition since Knute Rockne,” McCord said.

Turner Sports will televise this third rendition of The Match, to be held Friday, Nov. 27, at 3 p.m. ET at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Oro Valley, Arizona, and McCord explained why he was interested in participating.

“This is right up my alley. The format is four guys trying to get it in the hole while bitch-slapping each other verbally. That’s fun,” he said. “Those four guys will do it. If we can get them going, which shouldn’t be hard to do, it will be quite entertaining. You know that Phil will find something and just like a scab he’ll start picking at it until he can get somebody to come back with something. He’s probably the best guy out there with the biggest needle.

“There’s a reason they hired me and it’s not to say, ‘It’s 165 yards and he’s got a 6 iron.’ I’m just going to follow along and try to keep throwing kerosene on the fire.”

McCord said he and Barkley have made plans to go play a practice round next week to figure out how to play Stone Canyon, which is situated at the base of the picturesque Tortolita Mountains, offering views of the Santa Catalina Mountains in all directions.

McCord last played with Barkley, known as “the round mound of rebound” during his NBA days, about a month ago and suggested that Mickelson better be practicing hard.

“Chuck can go practice all he wants but what he’s going to get under the gun, nobody knows. The problem with Chuck is he’s got the yips. It’s performance anxiety. When we play, he makes a full swing and it’s fine. It can get squirrely at times, but it’s OK. It never comes out unless there is some anxiety. I’ve seen him hit balls all day and it’s beautiful. He gets to The Match and he could have the triple hitch. You can’t practice for the yips. God love him, he’s fun to be around, he’s funnier than hell and I wish he could play good golf. If I had a Christmas wish, it would be for Charles Barkley, please, just let him be able to play golf again.”

But McCord said not to count on Barkley to find his game all of a sudden. Manning he knows is quite capable as a golfer and while he’s never seen Curry play, McCord thinks the two of them should have a decided advantage. With the modified alternate-shot format, Mickelson will have to play many of Barkley’s miscues. He predicted Mickelson may spend more time in the desert than Moses.

“Phil could come out of this with something between 20 and 50 jumping cholla attached to him,” McCord said. “He could be a walking cactus by the end of this thing.”

Reason enough to tune in as they raise significant charitable dollars towards a goof cause, and it will be a bonus to hear McCord back in the saddle adding his insights and inimitable style to the broadcast.

David Feherty, Gary McCord reunite for comedy show in Phoenix

David Feherty brings his stand-up comedy routine to Phoenix and will be joined by his former CBS colleague Gary McCord.

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SCOTTSDALE – David Feherty has always been more stand-up comedian than golf-swing analyst as a television golf commentator. So doing a routine in front of a live audience seems like a job he was born to do.

On Wednesday night, the NBC Sports and Golf Channel analyst takes his act to the Orpheum Theater in downtown Phoenix, where more than 1,100 golf fans will likely be left in stitches from his one-of-a-kind brand of humor.

“It’s kind of daunting, but it’s a real buzz once you get out there and stop (crapping) yourself, which hopefully that happens in the first few minutes,” Feherty said.

The 61-year-old tour-pro-turned-TV-personality began moonlighting from his TV gig in 2017 and quickly discovered during his first show that he had no concept of time once he started his act.

“It went for three hours and 12 minutes. There were people dying in the audience, you know,” he said. “I think we had two natural deaths and I think one guy pissed himself to death because his bladder was too full. And from there we just, we do them in sort of clumps of three, preferably around golf tournaments.”

Gary McCord at the Tavistock Cup at Isleworth Golf & Country Club.

His Phoenix show takes on added meaning as Feherty will reunite with his former CBS Sports cohort Gary McCord, who learned late last year that his contract wouldn’t be renewed. Until Feherty jumped ship for NBC and Golf Channel, he and McCord were golf’s Laurel and Hardy, its Frick and Frack, its Cheech and Chong. When asked if tonight’s reunion would be a one-off or the launch of a two-man show, Feherty said, “We’re going to do it and see how it goes and it’s something that I would like to do more often.

“I miss him. I miss him a lot. Especially with the way things have kind of broken for him. It gives me more of an opportunity to spend time with him, I think. It’s something that I would really enjoy. I’m saying that I am nervous tonight; it’s like being handcuffed to a primate that you’re not quite sure how he’s going to he react. A Capuchin monkey or something, he might bite me.”

The other part of his day job on TV consists of hosting “Feherty,” the popular Golf Channel show where he’s interviewed more than 140 golfers and celebrities. But Feherty’s white whale continues to be Tiger Woods, a player for whom Feherty had a front-row seat to watch the majority of his incredible exploits. He has yet to get Woods to agree to do the lengthy sit-down interview.

“I would love Tiger to be my last show,” Feherty said. “He’s getting to a place where I think he can – I can do the show properly. I want the show to be a service to him and the journalistic integrity is under question there, but I have guests, I don’t have victims. That’s for Piers Morgan or for someone else. And he’s done so much for all of us, hell, I might not have a job if it weren’t for him.

“I’m interested in him being vulnerable and just telling us how he’s felt the last 20-odd years and I don’t think that he’s been in a place where he would be comfortable doing that until it looks like he’s heading in that direction to me. I would love to have him on, but to have the kind of interview that I think would be of a service to him and me and Golf Channel, obviously, I think his stock would go up astronomically if he were to do the show and it were to work out like that.”

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