Posted on: Monday, October 7, 2002
McCord will cut back play despite success
• Irwin outlasts McCord for Turtle Bay Championship
• Golf Scoreboard
By Bill Kwon
Special to the Advertiser
KAHUKU — He wrote "Golf for Dummies," volumes I & II, but Gary McCord is no dummy.
Even with an excellent chance of making the top 31 for an exempt status on the Senior PGA Tour next year, McCord will be cutting back on his playing schedule to spend more as a golf analyst for CBS.
"They are two great jobs, but one's got to go," said McCord, who added that the decision is really a "no brainer."
"I've got no choice. I'm going television. I got two more years with television and television's been great to me," said McCord, who lost in a sudden-death playoff to Hale Irwin in the Turtle Bay Championship yesterday at the resort's Palmer Course.
The runner-up finish was worth $132,000 to McCord, who moved up to 29th on the 2002 money list with $637,643. More important, it gave him confidence, especially in his putting, which deserted him most of the year.
"The putter actually felt decent for the first time all year," McCord said. "I made a couple of putts. Wonderful. The stroke was pretty good today. That's the one thing I'm gassed about. The stroke was much better than it has been all year,"
But the traveling and wearing two hats are a bit too much for someone who is 54 years old, according to McCord.
"This is my 27th week in a row on the road, either golf or television. I went 5 1/2 months with the same suitcase, same clothes. I threw them all away. They were all Tommy Bahama's, so there are guys all over the place in the garbage."ith the Senior Tour possibly reducing its 2003 schedule to around 30 events, McCord realizes it will be difficult to gain an exempt status in the future.
"I'm at the mercy of television. I'm contractually signed to do 19 (tournaments). Now I try to play tournaments that are not going to CBS. I've got to cut back quite a bit, so I'm trying to stay exempt with half the schedule and that's hard to do."
Still, as McCord says, "Everything's right with the world. My little world."
Especially after his showing at Turtle Bay, where he literally stayed with Irwin every step of the way — all 55 holes during the week.
Going into the tournament, McCord had so many negative vibes about his putting that he said he started to get a "putting headache."
But matching Irwin par for par on the back nine before Irwin birdied the signature par-5 18th hole in the playoff, really helped, according to McCord.
"You kind of watch how he goes about his business. He never gives up, so I kind of stuck with him. I was stuck on his rear end all three days. I hadn't been there in a while (so) I couldn't pressure him."
Irwin said: "I have to say Gary played well. Gary's a player of substance and he brings that personality out here."
