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Fans are well aware of the tale of former CBS golf analyst Gary McCord and how he got banned from the Masters. Even the ex-commentator himself loves talking about the incident in almost all his interviews. But this was the first time when the ex-commentator talked about what happened in so much detail.
Gary McCord about his ban from the Masters
In the second episode of his recently launched podcast, McCord opened up about what exactly led to his ban from the Masters. Having served as a golf commentator for over 33 years at CBS, his ban was more of a shock to his fans than to him. Talking to his longtime colleague at CBS, Peter Kostis, McCord sequenced everything that happened in the correct order.
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May 15, 2019 – Bethpage, New York, United States – Gary McCord speaks to the media during a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at the 101st PGA, Golf Herren Championship at Bethpage Black. PGA 2019: PGA Championship – Press Conference Day 2 – ZUMAw109 20190515_zap_w109_019 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx
During the 1994 tournament, the famous analyst hit the headlines for using terms like “body bags” and “bikini wax”. Having joined CBS back in 1986, McCord was pretty comfortable and aware of his work environment. And there was not just one incident that led to his ouster from the tournament, but many.
Standing at the 17th hole, McCord said something he probably shouldn’t have. To describe a really fast putt during the game, he said, “I don’t think they mow these greens, I think they bikini wax them.”. However, he didn’t intend to come out wrong at all with his statements. Rather, he claimed to be reading an ad magazine during the commercial breaks that led such words to stick in his head.
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5 Apr 1999: A ball Masters golf ball displays the length of the new rough increased to 1 3/8 of an Inch before the 1999 US Masters at the Augusta National GC in Augusta, Georgia, USA. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Munday /Allsport
According to the former golfer, the CBS Sports president, Neal Pilson, was sitting right next to him. To everyone’s surprise, “he was laughing his a** off.” He also mentioned that none of the officials said anything to him after the broadcast had ended. However, the way things ended was not how he expected.
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Three days later, CBS golf producer Frank Chirkinian called McCord into his office. And to his surprise, he was shown a handwritten letter from former Masters champion Tom Watson. The letter was about Watson’s wish to have the tournament broadcasts taken off. Moreover, the golfer had referred to McCord as “the Howard Stern of golf.”.
It was just two after the first time that Chirkinian called McCord once again and said something that shook the man to his core. McCord recalled, “Frank goes, ‘Augusta is getting ready.’ For what? ‘For your death.’”. And it took only a few months for them to make the final decision.
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As soon as MCord was removed from Augusta, Chirkinian decided to leak the information to a reporter in August. And later, the golf analyst and CBS finally fired his co-host Kostis in 2019. Thankfully, McCord didn’t hold any grudges against Watson for his letter. In fact, he said he should have “paid him [Watson] a fee”!
