Gary McCord

Gary Dennis McCord (born May 23, 1948) is an American professional golfer, commentator, and author.

McCord was born in San Gabriel, California. He was a two-time All-American at the University of California, Riverside. He won the NCAA Division II individual championship in 1970 and turned professional in 1971. McCord's best-ever finishes on the PGA Tour were at the 1975 and 1977 Greater Milwaukee Open, placing second at both tournaments. During his years on the PGA Tour, he had just under two dozen top-10 finishes.

In 1986, McCord joined CBS Sports as a golf analyst, a capacity in which he still serves. McCord is noted for his outspokenness, a trait that has seen him barred from the CBS commentary team for The Masters. During the network's coverage of the 1995 Masters, he 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. Augusta National Golf Club, which organizes The Masters and is notoriously sensitive about how its course is described, used its influence with CBS to have him removed from the Masters commentary team. While McCord has continued to cover virtually all other golf events aired by CBS, he has never returned to Augusta.

Aside from his CBS commentary duties, McCord also plays on the Champions Tour, where he won his first event at the Toshiba Senior Classic in March 1999, and followed up by winning that year's Ingersoll-Rand Senior Tour Championship. Also back in 1991 he won the Gateway Open on the Ben Hogan Tour, the second tier tour in America, which is now called the Nationwide 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". He and Peter Kostis are partners in the Kostis/McCord Learning Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is also a co-announcer on the EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour series along with David Feherty.

McCord credits golf pro Brad Britton for teaching him the ins and outs of the golf swing and especially the mental game.

McCord lives with his wife, Diane, in Paradise Valley, Arizona and Edwards, Colorado.

Nationwide Tour wins

*1991 (1) Ben Hogan Gateway Open

Champions Tour wins

*1999 (2) Toshiba Senior Classic, Ingersoll-Rand Senior Tour Championship

External links

* [http://www.tourtalent.com/talent.asp?ID=Gary_McCord Gary McCord's Homepage]
* [http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/17/79 Profile on the PGA Tour's official site]
* [http://www.kostismccordlearning.com/ Kostis~McCord Learning Center]