THE stories about Lee Trevino are legendary.
The winner of 92 professional tournaments, including six majors between 1968 and 1974 – two US Opens, two Open Championships and two US PGA Championships – was a heck of a player.
Jack Nicklaus once said: “I hope he (Trevino) never finds out how good he is, or we’re in trouble.”
Long before Trevino took the game seriously he worked menial jobs, but wanted more and eventually found someone willing to sponsor him for a few tournaments.
In 1965 he played in three events, winning at the Texas State Open, runner-up at the Mexico City Open and fifth at the Panama Open.
His performance was good enough to garner the support of Martin Lettunich, a wealthy cotton farmer from El Paso, who secured Trevino a job at El Paso’s Horizon Hills Country Club. The same year, Lettunich and his golfing mates invited Raymond Floyd, a rising star, to challenge a local player. Sports Illustrated retold the legendary anecdote.
“Floyd pulled into Horizon Hills in a white Cadillac, where he was met by a young Hispanic clubhouse boy, who retrieved Floyd’s clubs from the trunk (boot), escorted him to the locker room and shined his shoes. ‘Who am I playing today?’ Floyd asked. ‘You’re talking to him,’ Lee replied.”
The pair played three rounds, and with one hole left, Trevino was up by a stroke. Floyd saved himself from the embarrassment of losing by eagling the final hole to win by one.
Packing up his clubs, Floyd told Trevino, “Adios. I’ve got easier games than this on the tour.”
From humble beginnings Trevino went on to build a remarkable career and while he did not always endear himself to all he was a true character of the game.
“I came off a cotton farm as a little kid and never got introduced to golf until I was almost 19 years old,” he once said. “I caddied a little bit. I actually took up the game at 19 when I was in the Marine Corps.”
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