Thirty years in the past, Gary McCord was famously fired from the CBS Masters broadcast group for evaluating the velocity of a inexperienced to a bikini wax. However Augusta Nationwide’s response to the remark wasn’t instant — in actual fact, it was solely after receiving a essential letter from Tom Watson that McCord’s ouster was set in movement.
How did all of it go down? McCord relived the story alongside his longtime CBS broadcast companion Peter Kostis within the newest episode of “Kostis & McCord: Off Their Rockers,” a GOLF manufacturing.
“What occurred was, we’ve obtained Jose Maria Olazabal, he’s down the green, he’s speaking to his caddie about what the following shot is and, the pin’s again proper the final day. And I stated, let me interpret. I stated, the caddie — now they’re speaking Spanish, clearly — and I stated, the caddie, his brother, is telling him, ‘Don’t hit it over the inexperienced as a result of there’s physique luggage down there.’ A cliche, it’s a euphemism for he’s useless. That’s it. Okay. No large deal. That was earlier within the present.
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“Now we go to later, and we go to business break, and we’re late within the telecast,” McCord continued. “We’re on the seventeenth gap. I’ve obtained the president of CBS Sports activities sitting subsequent to me with the bat telephone. It’s a crimson telephone that goes proper to [Augusta National chairman] Hord Hardin. So, he’s within the catacombs down under, and that’s the telephone he can get proper to the telecast and he’s sitting proper subsequent to me.”
McCord then defined that he favored to maintain magazines within the sales space, and noticed an commercial for the Golden Door spa in Escondido, Calif. A bikini wax was among the many remedies provided on the menu.
“Now, as you realize, at Augusta, the one factor they’re deathly afraid of is the velocity of those greens,” McCord stated. “So Jose hits it over right here to the left and he’s gonna putt over to the appropriate, and you realize that putt, and it’s simply sooner than hell. So I stated, you realize, this putt that Jose’s obtained right here is actually, actually delicate. As soon as he will get to the highest of that hill, it’s a velocity freak all the best way down. In reality, I don’t assume they mow these greens. I feel they bikini wax them.
“Neal Pilson is laughing his a– off subsequent to me. He’s the president of CBS Sports activities. The telephone’s not going off. Anyway, that was it. [CBS Sports golf producer] Frank [Chirkinian] by no means stated something. No one stated something!”
The following week’s match was in Hilton Head, S.C., and McCord and Kostis recalled being referred to as into Chirkinian’s workplace on the Wednesday earlier than the match started.
“I get referred to as into Frank’s workplace and he goes, ‘Shut the door.’ So I shut the door, and he throws me a letter, and it’s written in pencil,” McCord stated. “And I have a look at the letter, it says addressed to Augusta Nationwide. And it says, ‘We have to eradicate this lesion on golf. He’s the Howard Stern of golf and we have to take note of this and what he stated,’ signed Tom Watson.
“I checked out Frank and I stated, ‘What the hell is that this?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know. I obtained it from Augusta, and so they despatched it to me.’ And I’m going, ‘What’s this imply?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know but.’ And I went, ‘All proper, preserve me posted.’
Two days later, McCord was summoned again to Chirkinian’s workplace.
“So Friday, Frank goes, ‘Get in right here,’” McCord says. “And I’m going, ‘What?’ He goes, ‘Augusta now could be preparing.’ I stated, ‘For what?’ ‘In your dying.’”
McCord stated Chirkinian advised him that the community wouldn’t defend him and he must deal with the difficulty himself. Chirkinian did give him one phrase of recommendation, although: “Keep above the method.”
A few months later, McCord was formally fired from the Masters broadcast, however remained on the CBS roster for the remainder of community’s tournaments.
Finally, McCord stated he revered Augusta Nationwide’s resolution to do away with him however didn’t like the truth that Watson didn’t confront him personally about his grievances earlier than taking the difficulty to Augusta.
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McCord stated he did have the possibility to confront Watson the next 12 months at Pebble Seaside when he noticed Watson at check-in.
“Tom registers in entrance of me and he turns round to stroll out and I stated, ‘Have you ever obtained a second?’ McCord stated. “He goes, ‘Yeah.’ I stated, ‘I’m gonna meet you proper there within the alcove.’
“So I’m going in there, and he’s sitting there. And subsequent factor I do know, he’s poking me within the chest and I’m poking him within the chest and I type of look over and also you guys are sitting there laughing your ass off as a result of we’re gonna get in a combat over there.
“And I simply advised him that I don’t perceive why he didn’t do that and man up and are available to speak to me first. He was attempting to be God on this complete factor. That was the intent of the dialog.”
Within the years since, McCord stated he and Watson have performed the Champions Tour collectively and have gotten alongside. In reality, McCord now credit Watson for giving him a lot consideration.
“I obtained extra publicity for doing this than something I ever did in golf,” McCord stated.
“It’s conceivable that not solely did he not harm your revenue, he enhanced it,” Kostis famous.
“I ought to pay him a retainer payment,” McCord stated.
For extra nice anecdotes from golf’s grasp storytellers, take a look at the newest episode of Kostis & McCord: Off Their Rockers, a GOLF manufacturing, under.
