Lee Trevino


Lee Buck Trevino is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981.
Trevino won six major championships and 29 PGA Tour events 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 Masters was the only major that eluded him.
He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex," both affectionate nicknames given to him by other golfers.

Early life

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. During his childhood, Trevino occasionally attended school and worked to earn money for the family. At age 5, he started working in the cotton fields.
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 caddie at the Dallas Athletic Club, near his home. He soon began caddying full-time. Trevino left school at age 14 to go to work. He earned $30 a week as a caddie and shoe shiner. 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. Many of these practice shots were struck from the bare ground with very little grass and often in very windy conditions. It is this that is widely believed to be the reason Trevino developed his extremely distinct, unique, and compact swing-method which, of course, he went on to develop and groove with tremendous effect. A very pronounced controlled 'fade' was undoubtedly his signature shot, although he had many other shot-types in his repertoire and he is, still to this day, remembered as one of the very finest shot-makers of all time.
When Trevino turned 17 in December 1956, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, and served four years as a machine gunner and was discharged in December 1960 as a corporal with the 3rd Marine Division. He spent part of his time playing golf with Marine Corps officers. 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

After Trevino was discharged from the Marines, he went to work as club professional in El Paso, Texas. He made extra money by gambling for stakes in head-to-head matches. He qualified for the U.S. Open in 1966, made the cut, and tied for 54th, earning $600. He qualified again in 1967 and shot 283, eight shots behind champion Jack Nicklaus, and only four behind runner-up Arnold Palmer. Trevino earned $6,000 for finishing fifth, which earned him Tour privileges for the rest of the 1967 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. The fifth-place finish at the U.S. Open also earned him an exemption into the following year's event.
In 1968, his second year on the circuit, Trevino won the U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club, in Rochester, New York, four strokes ahead of runner-up Nicklaus, the defending champion. 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 six wins in 1971 and four wins in 1972.
Trevino had a remarkable string of victories during a 20-day span in the summer of 1971. He defeated Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff to win the 1971 U.S. Open. Two weeks later, he won the Canadian Open, and the following week won The Open Championship, 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" 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 Nicklaus, with Jacklin finishing third. Trevino holed out four times from off the greens during the tournament. Nicklaus had won the first two majors of the year and fell just short in the third leg of the grand slam. After holing his chip shot on the 17th in the final round, Trevino said: "I'm the greatest chipper in the world."
In 1974, Trevino won the Greater New Orleans Open without scoring any bogeys, the only time it had happened in a PGA Tour individual event until J. T. Poston accomplished the feat at the 2019 Wyndham Championship. At the PGA Championship he won the fifth of his six major championships. He won the title by a stroke, again over Nicklaus, the fourth and final time Nicklaus was a runner-up in a major to Trevino. At the Western Open near Chicago in 1975, 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. At the age of 44, Trevino won his sixth and final major at the PGA Championship in 1984, with a 15-under-par score of 273, becoming the first player to shoot all four rounds under 70 in the PGA Championship. He was the runner-up the following year in 1985, attempting to become the first repeat champion since Denny Shute in 1937.
In the early 1980s, Trevino was second on the PGA Tour's career money list, behind only Nicklaus. From 1968 to 1981 inclusive, Trevino won at least one PGA Tour event a year, a streak of 14 seasons. He also 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 an early success. He claimed 29 senior wins, including four senior majors. He topped the seniors' money list in 1990 and 1992.
Like many American stars of the era, Trevino played a considerable amount overseas. Early in his career he played sporadically on the Australasian Tour. He finished runner-up in the 1969 and 1970 Dunlop International and ultimately won down under at the 1973 Chrysler Classic. He also won an event on the Japan Golf Tour, the Casio World Open in 1981. Trevino also had a great deal of success in Europe. Among his greatest triumphs were at the 1971 Open Championship and 1972 Open Championship. Trevino was also invited to play at the very prestigious Piccadilly World Match Play Championship three times. He reached the finals twice. His most notable performance probably came in 1970 when he defeated defending Masters champion Billy Casper in the quarterfinals and defending PGA champion Dave Stockton in the semifinals. He also won two regular European Tour events late in his career at 1978 Benson & Hedges International Open and 1985 Dunhill British Masters. In fact, his last regular tour win was at the British Masters. Additionally, he finished runner-up at three European Tour events: the 1980 Bob Hope British Classic, 1980 Open Championship, and the 1986 Benson & Hedges International Open.
From 1983 to 1989, he worked as a color analyst for PGA Tour coverage on NBC television. In 2014 Trevino was named "Golf Professional Emeritus" at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, a position previously held by Sam Snead and Tom Watson.

Masters tournament

At age 49 in the 1989 Masters, Trevino shot an opening round five-under-par 67 to become the oldest man ever to lead the field after a round in the tournament. It came despite Trevino's words 20 years earlier, when he said after the 1969 Masters: "Don't talk to me about the Masters. I'm never going to play there again. They can invite me all they want, but I'm not going back. It's just not my type of course." Trevino said that he felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere at Augusta National and that he disliked the course because his style of play, where he liked to fade shots left to right, was not suited to the course.
Trevino did not accept invitations to the Masters in 1970, 1971 and again in 1974. In 1972, after forgoing the previous two Masters tournaments, he stored his shoes and other items in the trunk of his car, rather than use the locker room facilities in the clubhouse. Trevino complained that had he not qualified as a player, the club would not have let him onto the grounds except through the kitchen. But he later described his boycott of the Masters as "the greatest mistake I've made in my career" and called Augusta National "the eighth wonder of the world".
After an opening round of 67 in the 1989 Masters, Trevino finished the tournament tied for 18th place. His best finish at the Masters was a tie for 10th place twice: in 1975 and in 1985.

Distinctions and honors

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."
Trevino was once asked how he handled the pressure of knowing that tens of thousands of dollars of prize money were riding on a single putt. He answered: "That's not pressure. Pressure is having a $100 bet on a putt when you don't have any money in your pocket."
At the beginning of Trevino's 1971 U.S. Open playoff against Jack Nicklaus, he threw a rubber snake that his daughter had put in his bag as a joke at Nicklaus, who later admitted that he asked Trevino to throw it to him so he could see it. 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.
During one tournament, Tony Jacklin, paired with Trevino, said: "Lee, I don't want to talk today." Trevino retorted: "I don't want you to talk. I just want you to listen."
Trevino made a notable cameo appearance in the comedy Happy Gilmore.
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 a 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 lightning delay to entertain the crowds, saying "I deserved to get hit...God can hit a 1-iron."
Trevino 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."

Professional wins (92)

PGA Tour wins (29)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Jun 16, 1968U.S. Open69-68-69-69=275−54 strokes Jack Nicklaus
2Nov 10, 1968Hawaiian Open68-71-65-68=272−162 strokes George Archer
3Feb 23, 1969Tucson Open Invitational67-70-68-66=271−177 strokes Miller Barber
4Feb 15, 1970Tucson Open Invitational 66-68-72-69=275−13Playoff Bob Murphy
5Mar 29, 1970National Airlines Open Invitational69-66-68-71=274−14Playoff Bob Menne
6Apr 25, 1971Tallahassee Open Invitational69-67-69-68=273−153 strokes Jim Wiechers
7May 30, 1971Danny Thomas Memphis Classic66-66-69-67=268−124 strokes Lee Elder, Jerry Heard,
Hale Irwin, Randy Wolff
8Jun 21, 1971U.S. Open 70-72-69-69=280EvenPlayoff Jack Nicklaus
9Jul 4, 1971Canadian Open73-68-67-67=275−13Playoff Art Wall Jr.
10Jul 10, 1971The Open Championship69-70-69-70=278−141 stroke Lu Liang-Huan
11Oct 31, 1971Sahara Invitational69-72-73-66=280−81 stroke George Archer
12May 21, 1972Danny Thomas Memphis Classic 70-72-72-67=281−74 strokes John Mahaffey
13Jul 15, 1972The Open Championship 71-70-66-71=278−61 stroke Jack Nicklaus
14Sep 4, 1972Greater Hartford Open Invitational64-68-72-65=269−15Playoff Lee Elder
15Sep 17, 1972Greater St. Louis Golf Classic65-68-66-70=269−111 stroke Deane Beman
16Feb 25, 1973Jackie Gleason Inverrary-
National Airlines Classic
69-69-69-72=279−91 stroke Forrest Fezler
17Mar 11, 1973Doral-Eastern Open64-70-71-71=276−121 stroke Bruce Crampton, Tom Weiskopf
18Mar 31, 1974Greater New Orleans Open67-68-67-65=267−218 strokes Bobby Cole, Ben Crenshaw
19Aug 11, 1974PGA Championship73-66-68-69=276−41 stroke Jack Nicklaus
20Mar 9, 1975Florida Citrus Open69-66-70-71=276−121 stroke Hale Irwin
21May 16, 1976Colonial National Invitation68-64-68-73=273−71 stroke Mike Morley
22Jul 24, 1977Canadian Open 67-68-71-74=280−84 strokes Peter Oosterhuis
23May 14, 1978Colonial National Invitation66-68-68-66=268−124 strokes Jerry Heard, Jerry Pate
24Jun 24, 1979Canadian Open 67-71-72-71=281−33 strokes Ben Crenshaw
25Mar 23, 1980Tournament Players Championship68-72-68-70=278−101 stroke Ben Crenshaw
26Jun 29, 1980Danny Thomas Memphis Classic 67-68-68-69=272−161 stroke Tom Purtzer
27Sep 21, 1980San Antonio Texas Open66-67-67-65=265−151 stroke Terry Diehl
28Apr 19, 1981MONY Tournament of Champions67-67-70-69=273−152 strokes Raymond Floyd
29Aug 19, 1984PGA Championship 69-68-67-69=273−154 strokes Gary Player, Lanny Wadkins

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11970Tucson Open Invitational Bob MurphyWon with birdie on first extra hole
21970National Airlines Open Invitational Bob MenneWon with par on second extra hole
31970Kaiser International Open Invitational Ken Still, Bert YanceyStill won with birdie on first extra hole
41971Kemper Open Dale Douglass, Gary Player,
Tom Weiskopf
Weiskopf won with birdie on first extra hole
51971U.S. Open Jack NicklausWon 18-hole playoff;
Trevino: −2,
Nicklaus: +1
61971Canadian Open Art Wall Jr.Won with birdie on first extra hole
71972Greater Hartford Open Lee ElderWon with birdie on first extra hole
81978Danny Thomas Memphis Classic Andy BeanLost to birdie on first extra hole
91978Greater Milwaukee Open Lee ElderLost to par on eighth extra hole
101980Michelob-Houston Open Curtis StrangeLost to birdie on first extra hole

European Tour wins (5)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Jul 15, 1972The Open Championship71-70-66-71=278−61 stroke Jack Nicklaus
2Aug 11, 1974PGA Championship73-66-68-69=276−41 stroke Jack Nicklaus
3Aug 12, 1978Benson & Hedges International Open69-67-72-66=274−10Playoff Neil Coles, Noel Ratcliffe
4Aug 19, 1984PGA Championship 69-68-67-69=273−154 strokes Gary Player, Lanny Wadkins
5Jun 10, 1985Dunhill British Masters74-68-69-67=278−103 strokes Rodger Davis

European Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
11978Benson & Hedges International Open Neil Coles, Noel RatcliffeWon with par on fourth extra hole
Ratcliffe eliminated by par on first hole
21986Benson & Hedges International Open Hugh Baiocchi, Mark JamesJames won with birdie on first extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

Other wins (20)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Feb 4, 1990Royal Caribbean Classic71-67-68=206−101 stroke Butch Baird, Jim Dent
2Feb 18, 1990Aetna Challenge66-67-67=200−161 stroke Bruce Crampton
3Mar 4, 1990Vintage Chrysler Invitational66-67-72=205−111 stroke Dale Douglass, Mike Hill,
Don Massengale
4May 20, 1990Doug Sanders Kingwood Celebrity Classic67-67-69=203−136 strokes Gary Player
5Jun 3, 1990NYNEX Commemorative66-66-67=199−11Playoff Mike Fetchick, Jimmy Powell,
Chi-Chi Rodríguez
6Jul 1, 1990U.S. Senior Open67-68-73-67=275−132 strokes Jack Nicklaus
7Oct 21, 1990Transamerica Senior Golf Championship73-67-65=205−112 strokes Mike Hill
8Feb 17, 1991Aetna Challenge 71-68-66=205−111 stroke Dale Douglass
9Mar 17, 1991Vantage at The Dominion67-70=137−72 strokes Mike Hill, Charles Coody,
Rocky Thompson
10Aug 25, 1991Sunwest Bank Charley Pride Senior Golf Classic66-65-69=200−164 strokes Jim O'Hern, Chi-Chi Rodríguez
11Mar 15, 1992Vantage at The Dominion 68-66-67=201−152 strokes Chi Chi Rodríguez
12Apr 5, 1992The Tradition67-69-68-70=274−151 stroke Jack Nicklaus
13Apr 19, 1992PGA Seniors' Championship72-64-71-71=278−101 stroke Mike Hill
14May 3, 1992Las Vegas Senior Classic71-68-67=206−101 stroke Orville Moody
15May 24, 1992Bell Atlantic Classic65-72-68=205−51 stroke Gibby Gilbert
16May 30, 1993Cadillac NFL Golf Classic67-70-72=209−72 stroke Bruce Crampton, Raymond Floyd
17Sep 26, 1993Nationwide Championship66-66-73=205−112 strokes George Archer, Jim Ferree,
Mike Hill, Dave Stockton,
Rocky Thompson
18Oct 3, 1993Vantage Championship65-67-66=198−185 strokes DeWitt Weaver
19Feb 6, 1994Royal Caribbean Classic 66-73-66=205−8Playoff Kermit Zarley
20Apr 17, 1994PGA Seniors' Championship 70-69-70-70=279−91 stroke Jim Colbert
21May 15, 1994PaineWebber Invitational70-65-68=203−131 stroke Jim Colbert, Jimmy Powell
22May 29, 1994Bell Atlantic Classic 71-67-68=206−42 strokes Mike Hill
23Jun 19, 1994BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland67-65-67=199−171 stroke Jim Albus, Dave Stockton
24Jul 31, 1994Northville Long Island Classic66-69-65=200−177 strokes Jim Colbert
25Aug 20, 1995Northville Long Island Classic 67-69-66=202−144 strokes Buddy Allin
26Oct 8, 1995The Transamerica 66-69-66=201−153 strokes Bruce Summerhays
27Nov 3, 1996Emerald Coast Classic69-70-68=207−3Playoff Bob Eastwood, David Graham,
Mike Hill, Dave Stockton
28Mar 29, 1998Southwestern Bell Dominion 69-69-67=205−112 strokes Mike McCullough
29Jun 25, 2000Cadillac NFL Golf Classic 66-67-69=202−142 strokes Walter Hall

Senior PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11990NYNEX Commemorative Mike Fetchick, Jimmy Powell,
Chi-Chi Rodríguez
Trevino won with birdie on fifth extra hole
Powell and Rodríguez eliminated with birdie on first hole
21990New York Life Champions Dale Douglass, Mike HillHill won with birdie on first extra hole
31993Ping Kaanapali Classic George Archer, Dave StocktonArcher won with birdie on first extra hole
41994Royal Caribbean Classic Kermit ZarleyWon with par on fourth extra hole
51996Emerald Coast Classic Bob Eastwood, David Graham,
Mike Hill, Dave Stockton
Won with birdie on first extra hole
61997Home Depot Invitational Jim Dent, Larry GilbertDent won with birdie on second extra hole
Gilbert eliminated with birdie on first hole

Other senior wins (10)

Wins (6)

1 Defeated Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff – Trevino 68, Nicklaus 71.

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut

WD = withdrew

DQ = disqualified

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (4)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional