McCord Finally Gets First Win

CBS golf analyst Gary McCord won his first major golf tournament in more than 375 starts, beating John Jacobs at the end of a five-hole playoff Sunday in the $1.2 million Toshiba Seniors.

"I haven't won since Nixon was president," said McCord, whose $180,00 payoff was the largest of his career. "I had an unbelievable amount of adrenaline going through my body and I just told it to go away.

"I didn't start the day well but I knew I didn't have Tiger Woods or David Duval behind me, so I just decided to hang around and be a nuisance and maybe something good would happen."

It did.

Jacobs' 40-foot birdie try on the final playoff hole just slid by the right side of the cup. McCord's followed by making a short birdie putt for the victory.

"I hit it all over the golf course today," Jacobs said. "It was a miracle I even got into the playoff.

"I just played terrible. But when I made that chip-in on the first playoff hole I thought I'd won. But it was great when Gary made the eagle putt. Great entertainment for golf. And the fans were pulling for both of us."

McCord, winless in 15 years on the PGA Tour, had a great time.

"I went from being nervous to this is fun" he said. "I'm such a ham I didn't want to make the putts to win. But finally it was getting dark so I had to finish it off. I expect to get a lot of flak from all the guys at CBS."

Al Geiberger and Allen Doyle also were in the playoff that resulted when they joined McCord and Jacobs by finishing 9-under-par at 204. Doyle carded a closing 68, McCord and Geiberger 69s and Jacobs a 70.

McCord missed a 3-foot birdie putt that would have won the tournament on the fourth playoff hole.

Jacobs chipped in from 60 feet for an eagle on the first hole of the playoff. McCord then sank an 18-footer for an eagle as Geiberger and Doyle were eliminated.

McCord sank a 5-foot birdie putt and Jacobs sank 8-footer putt on the 18th hole to enter the playoff.

Geiberger had the tournament in control through the first 17 holes, but he missed a par-saving 5-footer on the 510-yard 18th. Geiberger had reached 10-under after his birdie at the par-3, 17th hole,.

The three birdied the 18th hole for a two-shot swing that created the playoff on the 6,584 yard Newport Beach Country Club course.

David Lundstrom and Dana Quigley tied for fifth. Lundstrom's final-round 67 left him one shot from the playoff. Quigley closed with a 70.