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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — When PGA Tour Q-Faculty begins Thursday, anticipate there to be tales of heartache and jubilation at golf’s final pressure-cooker. Arguably the perfect Q-Faculty story of all time includes Mac O’Grady, and comes courtesy of Gary McCord.
McCord performed a serious function in rallying assist for the Tour’s transfer in 1983 to the highest 125 All-Exempt Tour. Beforehand, the magic quantity was high 60. In some kind of poetic justice, McCord misplaced his card by a matter of some thousand {dollars} and had to return to Q-Faculty, held at TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass CC, in late 1982, simply as it is going to be this week. (One of many main variations is that solely high 5 and ties will get a card this time.)
McCord made it. So did O’Grady, who, regardless of opening with rounds of 79-76, earned his card for the primary time in 17 makes an attempt. Recounting the story to Golfweek, McCord stated, “I invited him to dinner. I stated, ‘Let’s go have a good time.’ He stated, ‘No, I’ve obtained one thing to do.’ ”
Save Ballesteros (left) is given a lesson by Mac O”Grady (holding video digital camera) as caddie Billy Foster shelters him from rain throughout a apply spherical earlier than the beginning of the 1994 Masters. (Steve Munday/ALLSPORT)
Months handed and McCord sees O’Grady and, out of curiosity, requested him what he did that night time after making his card ultimately.
“He instructed me he went right down to the sporting items retailer and purchased 17 Louisville Slugger baseball bats, obtained a Sharpie, and wrote the date and placement of each time he failed (Q-Faculty), then waited till darkish and went behind the second inexperienced on the TPC and broke all 17 of these bats in opposition to a pine tree,” McCord recalled. “He stated, ‘I removed the demons.’ I simply went ‘OK.’ Whether or not he did it or not, I don’t know. However I guess he in all probability did.”
Q-Faculty: It’s going to mess along with your head.
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