Gary McCord's five water balls at 1986 St. Jude Classic inspired famous scene in 'Tin Cup'

Gary McCord was Tin Cup before Kevin Costner was. The beloved golf movie starring Costner, Rene Russo and Don Johnson was released 30 years ago on Aug. 16, 1996, and featured a dramatic scene where Costner's Roy McAvoy character tries and tries and tries again to hit a shot over a lake onto a green. In the movie, McAvoy finally does clear the water, his shot trickling into the cup and igniting the fans at a fictional U.S. Open. But did you know that a real-life event inspired that scene? It was in 1986, 10 years before the movie's release, that a stubborn McCord was competing in the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, site of this week's PGA Tour stop, where he insisted 4-iron was enough club to clear a lake. As it turns out, he knocked five consecutive approach shots into the water before changing to 3-iron. In the real life chain of events, McCord didn't hole out but he did make the ensuing 25-footer. He walked off the green with a 16 on the hole, one of the highest single-hole scores in PGA Tour history. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Gary McCord's five water balls at 1986 St. Jude Classic inspired famous scene in 'Tin Cup'