Lee Trevino
| Lee Trevino | |
|---|---|
Trevino in April 2010 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Lee Buck Trevino |
| Nickname | The Merry Mex, Supermex |
| Born | December 1, 1939 Dallas, Texas |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st) |
| Nationality | |
| Residence | Dallas, Texas |
| Spouse | Claudia |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1960 |
| Current tour(s) | Champions Tour |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 89 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 29 (tied 19th all time) |
| European Tour | 2 |
| Japan Golf Tour | 1 |
| Champions Tour | 29 (2nd all time) |
| Other | 18 (regular) 10 (senior) |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 6) |
|
| Masters Tournament | T10: 1975, 1985 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1968, 1971 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 1971, 1972 |
| PGA Championship | Won: 1974, 1984 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 1981 (member page) |
| PGA Player of the Year | 1971 |
| Vardon Trophy | 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1980 |
| Byron Nelson Award | 1980 |
| PGA Tour leading money winner |
1970 |
| Jack Nicklaus Trophy (Champions Tour) |
1990, 1992, 1994 |
| Arnold Palmer Award (Champions Tour) |
1990, 1992 |
| Rookie of the Year (Champions Tour) |
1990 |
| Byron Nelson Award (Champions Tour) |
1990, 1991, 1992 |
| Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year |
1971 |
| Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year |
1971 |
Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is a Mexican American professional golfer who won six major championships over the course of his career. He is one of only four players to twice win the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. The only major that has eluded him is the Masters Tournament. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex".[1]
Contents |
Early life [edit]
Trevino was born in Dallas, Texas into a family of Mexican ancestry. He was raised by his mother, Juanita Trevino, and his grandfather, Joe Trevino, a gravedigger. Trevino never knew his father, Joseph Trevino, who left when his son was small. Trevino's childhood consisted of attending school occasionally and working to earn money for the family. At age five, he started working in the cotton fields.[2]
Trevino was introduced to golf when his uncle gave him a few golf balls and an old golf club. He then spent his free time sneaking into nearby country clubs to practice, and began as a caddy at the Dallas Athletic Club. He soon began caddying full-time. Trevino had to leave school at 14 to go to work. He earned $30 a week as a caddy and a shoeshiner.[citation needed] He was also able to practice golf, since the caddies had three short holes behind their shack. After work, he would hit at least 300 balls. Trevino has claimed to have earned extra money by challenging competitors to rounds of golf where he used only a shovel and taped-up 32-ounce glass Dr. Pepper bottle as a club.[citation needed]
When he turned 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and served four years. Part of his time was spent playing golf with Marine Corps officers. Trevino claims being a golf partner helped earn him promotion to lance corporal. He played successfully in Armed Forces golf events in Asia, where one rival was Orville Moody, who would follow Trevino to the PGA Tour in the late 1960s.
Professional career [edit]
After his discharge, Trevino became a club professional in El Paso, Texas. He made extra money by gambling for stakes in head-to-head matches. He began play on the PGA Tour in 1967. In his second U.S. Open golf championship, he shot 283, eight shots behind champion Jack Nicklaus, and earned $6,000 for finishing fifth. The high finish earned him Tour privileges for the rest of that season. He won $26,472 as a rookie, 45th on the PGA Tour money list, and was named Rookie of the Year by Golf Digest.
In 1968, his second year on the circuit, Trevino won the U.S. Open at the Oak Hill Country Club, in Rochester, New York; Nicklaus was second. During his career, Trevino won 29 times on the PGA Tour, including six majors. He was at his best in the early 1970s, when he was Jack Nicklaus's chief rival. He won the money list title in 1970, and had ten wins in 1971 and 1972.
Trevino had a remarkable spell during a span of 20 days in the summer of 1971. He defeated Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff to win the 1971 U.S. Open. Two weeks later, he won the Canadian Open (the first of three), and the following week won The Open Championship (British Open), becoming the first player to win those three titles in the same year. Trevino was awarded the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of 1971. He also won Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year"[3] and was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year.
In 1972 at Muirfield in Scotland, Trevino became the first player to successfully defend The Open Championship since Arnold Palmer in 1962. In a remarkable third round at Muirfield, Trevino had five consecutive birdies from the 14th through the 18th, holing a bunker shot on the 16th and sinking a 30–foot chip on the 18th for a round of 66. In the final round, Trevino was tied for the lead on the 17th tee with Tony Jacklin. Trevino chipped in from rough on the back of the green for a par on the 17th. A shaken Jacklin three-putted the same hole from 15 feet for a bogey. Trevino parred the 18th hole for a final round of 71, winning him the Open by a stroke over Jack Nicklaus, with Jacklin finishing third. Trevino holed out four times from off the greens during the tournament.[4] After holing his chip shot on the 17th in the final round, Trevino said: "I'm the greatest chipper in the world."[5]
In the 1974 PGA Championship, Trevino won the fifth of his six major championships. He won the title by a stroke over Jack Nicklaus.
At the 1975 Western Open, Trevino was struck by lightning and suffered injuries to his spine. He underwent surgery to remove a damaged spinal disk, but back problems continued to hamper his play. Nevertheless, he was ranked second in McCormack's World Golf Rankings in 1980 behind Tom Watson. Trevino had 3 PGA Tour wins in 1980 and finished runner-up to Tom Watson in the 1980 Open Championship. In 1984, at the age of 44, Trevino won his sixth and final major at the PGA Championship, with a 15-under-par score of 273, becoming the first player to shoot all four rounds under 70 in the PGA Championship.[6]
In the early 1980s, Trevino was second on the PGA Tour career money list, behind only Jack Nicklaus.[7] From 1968 to 1981 inclusive, Trevino won at least one PGA Tour event a year, a streak of 14 seasons. In addition to his PGA Tour victories, Trevino won more than 20 international and unofficial professional tournaments. He was one of the charismatic stars who was instrumental in making the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) an early success. He claimed 29 senior wins, including four senior majors. He topped the seniors' money list in 1990 and 1992.
From 1983 to 1989 Trevino worked as a color analyst for PGA Tour coverage on NBC television.
Playing style [edit]
His self–taught style, distinguished by an out-to-in swing designed to fade the ball (which he devised to combat a chronic hook), led to many exciting shots and skins game victories. He used an open stance and a strong grip, was never a long hitter, but was renowned for his accuracy under pressure, as well as a very creative short game. Trevino never had an instructor or coach, stating he never met one he couldn't beat on the golf course.
Distinctions and honors [edit]
- Trevino was the first player to shoot all four regulation rounds under par at the U.S. Open. At Oak Hill in 1968, Trevino played rounds of 69-68-69-69.
- A major avenue in El Paso, Texas was named after him, and streets in Rio Rancho and Belen, New Mexico.
- Trevino played for the United States in the Ryder Cup six times (1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1981), and had an impressive 17–7–6 win-loss-half record. He also served as team captain in 1985.
- Trevino won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average five times: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, and 1980.
- Trevino has established numerous scholarships and other financial aid to Mexican-Americans.
- He co-authored his autobiography, titled They Call Me Super Mex.
- Trevino was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981.
- In 2000, Trevino was ranked as the 14th-greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine.[8]
Humor [edit]
Throughout his career, Trevino was seen as approachable and humorous, and was frequently quoted by the press. Late in his career, he remarked, "I played the tour in 1967 and told jokes and nobody laughed. Then I won the Open the next year, told the same jokes, and everybody laughed like hell."[9] At the beginning of their 1971 playoff for the U.S. Open, he threw a rubber snake that his daughter had put in his bag as a joke, at Jack Nicklaus, who later admitted that he asked Trevino to throw it to him so he could see it.[10] Trevino grabbed the rubbery object and playfully tossed it at Nicklaus, getting a scream from a nearby woman and a hearty laugh from Nicklaus. Trevino shot a 68 to defeat Nicklaus by three strokes.[11] In Trevino's early career, much attention was given by the press to a plastic "BandAid" he wore on his forearm to cover a tattoo of the name of his ex-wife. He has since had this tattoo removed by a plastic surgeon using a laser technique.
After he was struck by lightning at the 1975 Western Open, Trevino was asked by a reporter what he would do if he were out on the course and it began to storm again. Trevino answered he would take out his 1 iron and point it to the sky, "because not even God can hit the 1-iron." Trevino said later in an interview with David Feherty that he must have tempted God the week before by staying outside during a lighting delay to entertain the crowds, saying "I deserved to get hit...God can hit a 1-iron".
Trevino has also said: "I've been hit by lightning and been in the Marine Corps for four years. I've traveled the world and been about everywhere you can imagine. There's not anything I'm scared of except my wife."[12]
Trevino has called his wife, Claudia, "his rock." He also credits her with jumpstarting his career again when he considered retiring due to old age, saying "those clubs don't know how old you are."
Trevino had a cameo appearance in the 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore.
Professional wins (89) [edit]
PGA Tour wins (29) [edit]
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 16, 1968 | U.S. Open | –5 (69-68-69-69=275) | 4 strokes | |
| 2 | Nov 10, 1968 | Hawaiian Open | –16 (68-71-65-68=272) | 2 strokes | |
| 3 | Feb 23, 1969 | Tucson Open Invitational | –17 (67-70-68-66=271) | 7 strokes | |
| 4 | Feb 15, 1970 | Tucson Open Invitational | –13 (66-68-72-69=275) | Playoff | |
| 5 | Mar 29, 1970 | National Airlines Open Invitational | –14 (69-66-68-71=274) | Playoff | |
| 6 | Apr 25, 1971 | Tallahassee Open Invitational | –15 (69-67-69-68=273) | 3 strokes | |
| 7 | May 30, 1971 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | –12 (66-66-69-67=268) | 4 strokes | |
| 8 | Jun 21, 1971 | U.S. Open | Even (70-72-69-69=280) | Playoff | |
| 9 | Jul 4, 1971 | Canadian Open | –18 (73-68-67-67=275) | Playoff | |
| 10 | Jul 10, 1971 | The Open Championship | –14 (69-70-69-70=278) | 1 stroke | |
| 11 | Oct 31, 1971 | Sahara Invitational | –8 (69-72-73-66=280) | 1 stroke | |
| 12 | May 21, 1972 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | +1 (70-72-72-67=281) | 4 strokes | |
| 13 | Jul 15, 1972 | The Open Championship | –6 (71-70-66-71=278) | 1 stroke | |
| 14 | Sep 4, 1972 | Greater Hartford Open Invitational | –15 (64-68-72-65=269) | Playoff | |
| 15 | Sep 17, 1972 | Greater St. Louis Golf Classic | –11 (65-68-66-70=269) | 1 stroke | |
| 16 | Feb 25, 1973 | Jackie Gleason Inverrary- National Airlines Classic |
–9 (69-69-69-72=279) | 1 stroke | |
| 17 | Mar 11, 1973 | Doral-Eastern Open | –12 (64-70-71-71=276) | 1 stroke | |
| 18 | Mar 31, 1974 | Greater New Orleans Open | –21 (67-68-67-65=267) | 8 strokes | |
| 19 | Aug 11, 1974 | PGA Championship | –4 (73-66-68-69=276) | 1 stroke | |
| 20 | Mar 9, 1975 | Florida Citrus Open | –12 (69-66-70-71=276) | 1 stroke | |
| 21 | May 16, 1976 | Colonial National Invitation | –7 (68-64-68-73=273) | 1 stroke | |
| 22 | Jul 24, 1977 | Canadian Open | –8 (67-68-71-74=280) | 4 strokes | |
| 23 | May 14, 1978 | Colonial National Invitation | –12 (66-68-68-66=268) | 4 strokes | |
| 24 | Jun 24, 1979 | Canadian Open | –7 (67-71-72-71=281) | 3 strokes | |
| 25 | Mar 23, 1980 | Tournament Players Championship | –10 (68-72-68-70=278) | 1 stroke | |
| 26 | Jun 29, 1980 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | –16 (67-68-68-69=272) | 1 stroke | |
| 27 | Sep 21, 1980 | San Antonio Texas Open | –15 (66-67-67-65=265) | 1 stroke | |
| 28 | Apr 19, 1981 | MONY Tournament of Champions | –15 (67-67-70-69=273) | 2 strokes | |
| 29 | Aug 19, 1984 | PGA Championship | –15 (69-68-67-69=273) | 4 strokes |
PGA Tour playoff record (5–5)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1970 | Tucson Open Invitational | Won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 2 | 1970 | National Airlines Open Invitational | Won with par on second extra hole | |
| 3 | 1970 | Kaiser International Open Invitational | Still won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 4 | 1971 | Kemper Open | Weiskopf won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 5 | 1971 | U.S. Open | Won 18-hole playoff (Trevino:68, Nicklaus:71) | |
| 6 | 1971 | Canadian Open | Won with birdie on second extra hole | |
| 7 | 1972 | Greater Hartford Open | Won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 8 | 1978 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | Lost to birdie on first extra hole | |
| 9 | 1978 | Greater Milwaukee Open | Lost to par on eighth extra hole | |
| 10 | 1980 | Michelob-Houston Open | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
European Tour wins (2) [edit]
Japan Golf Tour wins (1) [edit]
- 1981 Casio World Open
Other wins (18) [edit]
- 1965 Texas State Open
- 1966 Texas State Open, New Mexico Open
- 1969 World Cup (with Orville Moody)
- 1971 World Cup (with Jack Nicklaus)
- 1972 New Mexico Open
- 1973 Chrysler Classic (Australia), Mexican Open
- 1974 World Series of Golf (not yet a PGA Tour event)
- 1975 Mexican Open
- 1977 Morocco Grand Prix
- 1978 Lancome Trophy (unofficial European Tour)
- 1979 Canadian PGA Championship
- 1980 Lancome Trophy (unofficial European Tour)
- 1981 Sun City Classic (South Africa), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States – unofficial event)
- 1983 Canadian PGA Championship
- 1987 Skins Game
Champions Tour wins (29) [edit]
Champions Tour playoff record (3–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1990 | NYNEX Commemorative | Trevino wins with birdie on fifth extra hole Powell and Rodríguez eliminated with birdie on first hole |
|
| 2 | 1990 | New York Life Champions | Hill won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 3 | 1993 | Ping Kaanapali Classic | Archer won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 4 | 1994 | Royal Caribbean Classic | Won with par on fourth extra hole | |
| 5 | 1996 | Emerald Coast Classic | Won with birdie on first extra hole | |
| 6 | 1997 | Home Depot Invitational | Dent won with birdie on second extra hole Gilbert eliminated on first hole |
Senior majors are shown in bold.
Other senior wins (10) [edit]
- 1991 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Mike Hill)
- 1992 Mitsukoshi Classic, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Mike Hill)
- 1993 American Express Grandslam
- 1994 American Express Grandslam
- 1995 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Mike Hill)
- 1996 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Mike Hill), Australian PGA Seniors' Championship
- 2000 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Legendary Division (with Mike Hill)
- 2003 ConAgra Foods Champions Skins Game
Major championships [edit]
Wins (6) [edit]
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | U.S. Open | 1 shot deficit | −5 (69–68–69–69=275) | 4 strokes | |
| 1971 | U.S. Open (2) | 4 shot deficit | E (70–72–69–69=280) | Playoff 1 | |
| 1971 | The Open Championship | 1 shot lead | −14 (69–70–69–70=278) | 1 stroke | |
| 1972 | The Open Championship (2) | 1 shot lead | −6 (71–70–66–71=278) | 1 stroke | |
| 1974 | PGA Championship | 1 shot lead | −4 (73–66–68–69=276) | 1 stroke | |
| 1984 | PGA Championship (2) | 1 shot lead | −15 (69–68–67–69=273) | 4 strokes |
1 Defeated Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff – Trevino 68 (−2), Nicklaus 71 (+1).
Results timeline [edit]
| Tournament | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | T40 | T19 |
| U.S. Open | T54 | 5 | 1 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T34 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | T23 | T48 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | T33 | T43 | DNP | T10 | T28 | DNP | T14 | T12 |
| U.S. Open | T8 | 1 | T4 | T4 | CUT | T29 | DNP | T27 | T12 | T19 |
| The Open Championship | T3 | 1 | 1 | T10 | T31 | T40 | DNP | 4 | T29 | T17 |
| PGA Championship | T26 | T13 | T11 | T18 | 1 | T60 | CUT | T13 | T7 | T35 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T26 | CUT | T38 | T20 | 43 | T10 | 47 | CUT | CUT | T18 |
| U.S. Open | T12 | CUT | CUT | DNP | T9 | CUT | T4 | CUT | T40 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | 2 | T11 | T27 | 5 | T14 | T20 | T59 | T17 | CUT | T42 |
| PGA Championship | 7 | DNP | DNP | T14 | 1 | 2 | T11 | DNP | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T24 | T49 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T25 | T17 | T39 | DNP | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| PGA Championship | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tied for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Champions Tour major championships [edit]
Wins (4) [edit]
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | U.S. Senior Open | −13 (67–68–73–67=275) | 2 strokes | |
| 1992 | The Tradition | −14 (67–69–68–70=274) | 1 stroke | |
| 1992 | PGA Seniors' Championship | −10 (72–64–71–71=278) | 1 stroke | |
| 1994 | PGA Seniors' Championship (2) | −9 (70–69–70–70=279) | 1 stroke |
Trivia [edit]
- In The Simpsons episode "Marge Be Not Proud", Lee Trevino is spoofed as Lee Carvallo in hosting a game called Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. Trevino had a similar game called Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf, which was released in 1988 for the Nintendo.
- He is the first person known to have played pine cone golf.
- During the 1985-86 NHL season, when Todd Bergen walked out on the Philadelphia Flyers insisting that he would pursue a PGA Tour Career, Flyers manager Bobby Clarke retorted, "Who will I trade [Bergen] for – Lee Trevino?"
U.S. national team appearances [edit]
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1969 (tied), 1971 (winners), 1973 (winners), 1975 (winners), 1979 (winners), 1981 (winners), 1985 (non-playing captain)
- World Cup: 1968, 1969 (winners, individual winner), 1970, 1971 (winners), 1974
See also [edit]
- Hispanics in the United States Marine Corps
- List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins
- List of golfers with most Champions Tour major championship wins
- List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
- List of men's major championships winning golfers
- Monday Night Golf
References [edit]
Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas, The Mexican American Family Album. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
- ^ Profile at Golflegends
- ^ http://www.lycos.com/info/lee-trevino--golf.html
- ^ Kirkpatrick, Curry (December 20, 1971). "Sportsman of the year: a common man with an uncommon touch". Sports Illustrated: 34.
- ^ Jenkins, Dan (July 24, 1972). "Slamming The Door On Jack". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Nicklaus Misses Slam As Trevino Wins Open". The News and Courier. July 16, 1972. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ McDermott, Barry (August 27, 1984). "It's an old man's game after all". Sports Illustrated: 28.
- ^ http://www.pgatour.com/stats/leaders/r/1980/110 PGA Tour
- ^ Yocom, Guy (July 2000). "50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us". Golf Digest. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602390142/ The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, ed. Jim Apfelbaum 2007.
- ^ Seitz, Nick (2001). "1971 Ad". Golf Digest.
- ^ http://usga.usopen.com/history/video.html.
- ^ http://golf.about.com/od/leetrevino/p/lee_trevino.htm
External links [edit]
- Lee Trevino at the PGA Tour official site
- Lee Trevino at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Lee Trevino at the European Tour official site
- Profile at Golflegends
- Profile at answers.com
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
- American male golfers
- PGA Tour golfers
- Champions Tour golfers
- Ryder Cup competitors for the United States
- Winners of men's major golf championships
- Winners of senior major golf championships
- World Golf Hall of Fame inductees
- Golf writers and broadcasters
- Golfers from Texas
- United States Marines
- American sportspeople of Mexican descent
- Sportspeople from Dallas, Texas
- 1939 births
- Living people