Lee Trevino (USA) watches his putt.
British Open Golf Championships; 15/07/1972; Muirfield
Golf
Credit : Colorsport
Lee Buck Trevino is a retired American professional golfer…..who is regarded as one of the greatest players in professional golf history….and one of the greatest Hispanic golfers of all time….who was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981…. after winning 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 only major that eluded him was the Masters Tournament.
He is an icon for Mexican Americans…..who is often referred to as “The Merry Mex” and “Supermex,” both affectionate nicknames given to him by other golfers…..when he was introduced to golf when his uncle gave him a few golf balls and an old golf club….after which 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…..when Trevino left school at age 14 to go to work as a caddie and shoe shiner….while earning $30 a week….plus he was also able to practice golf since the caddies had three short holes behind their shack…..so, after work, he would hit at least 300 balls. Many of these practice shots were struck from the bare ground with very little grass….which was known locally as ‘Texas hardpan’…..and often in very windy conditions…..which is widely believed to be the reason Trevino developed his extremely unique compact swing method….which 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….for which he is still to this day remembered as one of the very finest shot-makers of all time.
This NBC Sportsworld tribute to Lee Trevino hosted by Bill Macatee is simply another piece of “pure gold” in our treasure chest of vintage golf memories here at ImaSportsphile…..as we are delighted to have each and every bit of footage on this wonderful legend of golf.
