Less than a week after we learned Gary McCord and Peter Kostis will no longer contribute to CBS Sports’ PGA Tour coverage, the network announced they’ve added Hall-of-Famer Davis Love III to their golf team.
“I have long considered CBS Sports the gold standard in golf coverage.” Love said . “Whether playing or coaching, I have always loved the team aspect of golf, and I am thrilled to now be a member of the best team in television. My playing days are not totally over, as I will play select events, but my focus now shifts to broadcasting. I have been fortunate to spend a lot of time with the men and women of CBS Sports, and I look forward to getting started in January.”
The Major champion and 21-time PGA Tour winner will make his golf announcer debut on CBS Sports January 25, 2020, for the network’s coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
“Davis is one of the most accomplished and respected players in the game of golf,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “With his playing experience, reputation and relationships across the golf community, he brings a unique perspective and insight that will enhance our broadcasts. Davis is the perfect fit for CBS, and we look forward to him making the best broadcast team in golf even better.”
With the addition of Davis, CBS chose not to renew the contracts of golf analysts Gary McCord and Peter Kostis whose contributions to the network spanned more than three decades. While Kostis released a statement thanking the network, McCord publicly lashed out at his former employer.
“This is not how I would have preferred to see it end,” McCord said during an interview on SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio channel. “I’m going on 72. I’ve been doing this for 30-odd years. I knew I was coming to the end of the deal, but I was going to go out on my terms. That’s not happening now. Bottom line, they fired me. You just don’t do something like this. You shouldn’t do it this way. No chance to say thanks to the viewers, to all my CBS friends? That’s what you get for 35 years?”
McCord began his more than three decade tenure with CBS in 1986, notably being banned from covering the Masters in 1994. The broadcaster said the 17th green at Augusta was so fast it seemed to be “bikini-waxed”, also joking that “body bags” were behind the green for players who missed approach shots.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.
