Class of 1978

Lee Trevino

Professional Player

portrait

Biography

Lee Trevino is one of the most popular players in the history of the game.

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. After Trevino was discharged from the Marines, he went to work as a club professional in El Paso, Texas and joined the PGA Tour circuit in 1967.

He was 1971 PGA Player of the Year. He won the 1971 and 1972 British Opens and six majors overall, including two U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships. He was a winner five Vardon Trophies, recognizing the tour’s scoring average leader. Lee was a member of six Ryder Cup teams, plus captaining in 1985. He was third only to Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in career money. He won 29 PGA tournaments in all, plus an additional 29 on the now Champions tour.

At age 50, Trevino tore up the Senior Tour, the first senior to crack the million-dollar mark in a single season. It was more money than Greg Norman, the No. 1 money winner of the PGA Tour, earned that year. He is one of two golfers to win the PGA Tour's three oldest events in the same year: The Open Championship (1860), the U.S. Open (1895), and the Canadian Open (1904). Trevino won them in 1971 and Tiger Woods in 2000.

Lee is also a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, inducted in 1981.

Birthplace: Dallas, Texas

Born: December 1, 1939

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A Gentle Nudge From The Man

In 1955, Lee Trevino, who’d dropped out of school two years earlier — who was over a decade away from earning his PGA Tour card and launching his legendary career — was slinging hotdogs and Cokes at Knollwood Golf Club in Irving, Texas. His friend was a caddie, one with a keen eye. “my friend comes in — he was caddying — and he says, ‘You know, there’s a car out in the parking lot with spoke hubcaps. And he said, ‘They’d fit your car perfect.’” His car had no hubcaps and his friend knew where he could get some. “So he takes the hubcaps and throws them in the trunk of my car,” Trevino said. “And we put them on my car after we (left Knollwood), and they looked gorgeous on this ’49 Ford, a baby blue car going down the street.” The next day Trevino drove to work ... but forgot to remove the hubs before pulling into Knollwood’s driveway. A cop on a motorcycle was waiting. “he said, ‘Where’d you get those hubcaps?’” Trevino said. “And I’ve never been one to tell any stories, and I said, ‘Sir, my friend and I borrowed them.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, you borrowed them in the parking lot of the club.’” The cop gave him the man’s address and waited while Trevino returned the hubs and apologized. “That was the hardest job I’ve ever had to do,” Trevino said. “And I learned a lesson there.” “When I drove away, the policeman was waiting on me and he said to me, ‘How old are you son?’” Trevino continued. “I said, ‘Sixteen, sir.’ He said, ‘When are you gonna be 17?’ And I said, ‘In a month.’ He said, ‘I wanna send you to someone, and I want you to talk to him.’ “And it was the recruiter for the Marine Corps.” After turning 17 Trevino joined the Corps saying the Corps “was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

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The Trevino Triple

Ben Hogan had a famous Triple Crown year in 1953 while Lee Trevino had one of his own in 1971. Trevino had a remarkable string of victories during a 20-day span during that summer. He famously defeated Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff to win the 1971 U.S. Open. Two weeks later, he won the Canadian Open (his first of three). The following week won The Open Championship, becoming the first player to win those three titles in the same year. As a result 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. It would be more than 30 years before a player would match Trevino's triple crown feat. In 2000 Tiger Woods won the same three championships, though it took almost two months to accomplish.

Deep Dive Interview

1 of 38

Lee Trevino - David Graham

Deep dive video interview

Lee Trevino - David Graham
1:26

Lee Trevino - David Graham

Lee Trevino - Mildred Babe Didrikson Zaharias
0:49

Lee Trevino - Mildred Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Lee Trevino - St. Jude Charity
2:23

Lee Trevino - St. Jude Charity

Lee Trevino - 2023 Ryder Cup
4:45

Lee Trevino - 2023 Ryder Cup

Lee Trevino - Byron Nelson
1:53

Lee Trevino - Byron Nelson

Lee Trevino - I Didn't Have Many Options
0:50

Lee Trevino - I Didn't Have Many Options

Lee Trevino - David Spec Goldman
1:30

Lee Trevino - David Spec Goldman

Lee Trevino - Hardy Loudermilk
0:38

Lee Trevino - Hardy Loudermilk

Lee Trevino - Harvey Penick
2:57

Lee Trevino - Harvey Penick

Lee Trevino - Joe Black
1:22

Lee Trevino - Joe Black

Lee Trevino - Jack Nicklaus
5:12

Lee Trevino - Jack Nicklaus

Lee Trevino - Captain of A Ryder Cup
1:17

Lee Trevino - Captain of A Ryder Cup

Ben Hogan's Grip & Tweaking Your Game
5:14

Ben Hogan's Grip & Tweaking Your Game

Lee Trevino - Lazy Boy Present
3:24

Lee Trevino - Lazy Boy Present

Lee Trevino - Gus Moreland
1:27

Lee Trevino - Gus Moreland

Lee Trevino - Canadian Open & Queen Elizabeth Hotel
1:29

Lee Trevino - Canadian Open & Queen Elizabeth Hotel

Lee Trevino - Texas Golfers
1:15

Lee Trevino - Texas Golfers

Lee Trevino - Jimmy Demaret
3:31

Lee Trevino - Jimmy Demaret

Lee Trevino - Golf Hall of Fames
1:04

Lee Trevino - Golf Hall of Fames

Lee Trevino - Ludvig Åberg
0:45

Lee Trevino - Ludvig Åberg

Lee Trevino - Mr. Lu Liang-huan
1:54

Lee Trevino - Mr. Lu Liang-huan

Lee Trevino - 1981 Ryder Cup
5:16

Lee Trevino - 1981 Ryder Cup

Lee Trevino - Teaching Tiger & Charlie Woods
1:29

Lee Trevino - Teaching Tiger & Charlie Woods

Lee Trevino - Bill Rogers
1:45

Lee Trevino - Bill Rogers

Lee Trevino - Comparing Golf Tournaments & Championships
5:37

Lee Trevino - Comparing Golf Tournaments & Championships

Lee Trevino - Bill Eschenbrenner
1:19

Lee Trevino - Bill Eschenbrenner

Lee Trevino - Okinawa Open
1:58

Lee Trevino - Okinawa Open

Lee Trevino - Ben Hogan
4:03

Lee Trevino - Ben Hogan

Lee Trevino - Tiger Woods & Equipment
3:14

Lee Trevino - Tiger Woods & Equipment

Lee Trevino - Difficulty of Winning a Major Championship
1:07

Lee Trevino - Difficulty of Winning a Major Championship

Lee Trevino - Growing Up
1:27

Lee Trevino - Growing Up

Lee Trevino - Ryder Cup & Viktor Hovland
0:53

Lee Trevino - Ryder Cup & Viktor Hovland

Lee Trevino - Charity Checks
0:48

Lee Trevino - Charity Checks

Lee Trevino - Crenshaw & Kite
1:12

Lee Trevino - Crenshaw & Kite

Lee Trevino - Ryder Cup Team Interactions
1:20

Lee Trevino - Ryder Cup Team Interactions

Lee Trevino - The Snake Thing
1:10

Lee Trevino - The Snake Thing

Lee Trevino - Kathy Whitworth
1:18

Lee Trevino - Kathy Whitworth

Lee Trevino - Bruce Lietzke
2:22

Lee Trevino - Bruce Lietzke

Select Photos

Burying a putt from long range at The British Open

Burying a putt from long range at The British Open

Joe with Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros

Joe with Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros

World Series of Golf participants on the interview stage

World Series of Golf participants on the interview stage

1971 & 1972 British Open Champion

1971 & 1972 British Open Champion

Smiling as always

Smiling as always

Hoisting the Claret Jug

Hoisting the Claret Jug

Participants in the 1971 World Series of Golf

Participants in the 1971 World Series of Golf

Tiger and Lee Trevino

Tiger and Lee Trevino

Swinging away at The Open

Swinging away at The Open

Trevino on the cover of Golf Magazine

Trevino on the cover of Golf Magazine

The iconic swing of Lee Trevino

The iconic swing of Lee Trevino

Captain Jack Burke Jr. celebrates a Ryder Cup victory with his team

Captain Jack Burke Jr. celebrates a Ryder Cup victory with his team

A smiling shot of young Lee Trevino

A smiling shot of young Lee Trevino

Ambassador to the game

Ambassador to the game

Ladies and gentlemen, Lee Trevino

Ladies and gentlemen, Lee Trevino

Related Links & Media

FORE the Good of the Game

Guest appearances on Bruce Devlin's podcast:

https://www.forethegoodofthegame.com/guests/trevino-lee/

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