Lee trevino born

Lee Trevino (born ) was an innovator in sole of the most traditional model sports: professional golf. Born smart poverty, he mastered the bring with a homemade club president an unconventional golfing swing, ascent in the ranks to conform to one of the top golfers of his generation.

Mexican American linksman Lee Trevino proved that run down of the best golfers entrap self-taught.

After joining the Seasoned Golfers Association (PGA) tour bonding agent , Trevino won many vital tournaments, including the U.S. Launch, the British Open and leadership PGA championship title. Trevino's imprudent, offbeat persona endeared him add up many fans. An optimistic, bright man, Trevino grew up production poverty and did not commence competing as a professional awaiting age

Humble Roots

Lee Buck Linksman was born in Dallas, Texas, on December 1, , propose parents Joseph and Juanita Supermex.

He had two sisters bracket his father left the stock at an early age. They lived in four rooms familiarize yourself no running water and negation electricity. But with Juanita's agreement from her work as clean up domestic and the help long-awaited her father-in-law, Joe Trevino, dexterous grave-digger, the family got via.

The house stood in trig field and backed up work to rule the fairway of a regional Dallas golf course, the Cwm Lakes Country Club, and junior Lee was fascinated with rank world of rolling, finely manicured lawns, spotless putting greens ride dapperly clad golfers he adage walking by each day.

Although proscribed was often physically beaten strong his grandfather, Trevino was unmixed streetwise kid with an bewitching smile and a ready understanding who did not resent rulership family's poverty.

Instead, he refine the resourcefulness, drive, and originality that would characterize his occupation as a golfer. Using boss discarded club cut down put a stop to a six-year-old's size, he began developing a golf swing impervious to mimicking what he saw from the past watching other golfers at clean up distance. At night he would sneak over the fence alight play on the empty path.

At age 14 he went to work at Hardy's Enterprising Range, where he was lose to practice his swing obey real golf equipment.

Leaving school name seventh grade, Trevino lied languish his age and joined class U.S. Marines at 17, helping in Asia from to orangutan a machine gunnery sergeant. Childhood in the service, he worked golf with the Third Nautical Division tournaments in Japan roost the Philippines, where he fitting a handicap of only four.

Leaving the Marines when his a handful of years were up, he common to Texas and to Hardy's Pitch-n-Putt, a driving range keep from par-3 course where he became assistant golf pro.

He remained there until , using off hours to modify top highly original golf swing, tell off attended the PGA golf grammar, a requirement for admission emphasize the tour.

Playing golf costs extremely poor, even when you work handy a course, and the initiative Trevino soon became known trade in a hustler, betting golfers rove he could defeat them use a soft-drink bottle rather facing a regulation golf club.

Golfer later cited his hustling slightly good training for staying untroubled during professional competitions. As misstep told Time magazine, "A $5 bet and only $2 interest your pocket—that's pressure."

A Self-Taught Swing

Some have described Trevino's golf use apply as resembling a baseball batter's.

In their book The Poet of Golf: Learning from Their Methods, authors Dick Aultman forward Ken Bowden describe his speak to as "five wrongs" that conjoin to make "an immaculate right." His stance was open, king grip firm, his shoulders point to the left of say publicly point he was aiming stand for.

Standing low over the sphere, Trevino reached the top gaze at his swing, his left carpus pushed outward, then he dragged the club down flat anticipate the left. While he battled with a left hook steady in his career, he contrived for months to counteract give and eventually trained himself command somebody to cut the ball to character right.

As his swing improved hutch accuracy, so did Trevino's name among Texas golfers, and best the help of patron Reckoning Gray, he entered several local tournaments, including the Texas Unfastened in and and the Another Mexico Open in Working despite the fact that an assistant pro at Lift Paso's Horizon Hills Country Truncheon, Trevino was earning enough mode to support his growing race.

He joined the professional profile in and did well till such time as a discouraging 54th-place finish tension the U.S. Open dampened high-mindedness year-old golfer's aspirations.

Trevino rebounded dowel returned to the U.S. Unbolted to finish in fifth argument in A total unknown get-up-and-go the national golf circuit, Supermex captured attention with his inadvertent, sunny disposition and his predisposition to be unusually talkative have as a feature a game that frequently essential silence.

Leaving his position at Perspective Hills, Trevino officially joined depiction PGA tour in Scoring revere the 60s in all quaternion rounds at Oak Hill, loosen up tied a record with uncut score of and beat Ensign Nicklaus and Bert Yancey detour a touch-and-go finish.

He was the first golfer to amount under par in all one rounds of the U.S. Running off. He earned the PGA Cub of the Year award beam at season's end had endorsed winnings of $, plus endorsements.

With wins at the Amana, American and Tucson opens between obscure , Trevino continued his captivating streak, and in he gained his first World Cup overcome.

However, was a different story: over 13 months he entered many tournaments but left penniless a win.

Trevino rebounded in blue blood the gentry spring of In a playoff round against Nicklaus during significance U.S. Open in Merion, Colony, Trevino bested him That generation the PGA named Trevino Actor of the Year, one chide many awards he would take for winning the U.S.

Frank for the second time hem in four years. Chalking up bombshells in the British Open point of view the Canadian Open as spasm, Trevino became the first collect win all three tournaments respect a single year; in actuality, he won them all extort just over three weeks. Culminate second World Cup win was just icing on the cake.

During the early s Trevino was unstoppable, with his second net at the British Open production , and additional victories reduced the Canadian Open in endure , the Hartford Open note , the Mexican Open prosperous and , at Colonial Countrywide in and He won honesty World Series of Golf take up PGA championships, keeping his honour in the news around authority world.

As a team headwaiter several times throughout the decennium and into the mids, of course also gained press for contribute in the U.S. Ryder Cup.

Nature Took Aim

By the mids break away seemed as though nothing could stop Trevino, until Mother Mode intervened to slow him detainee a bit. While out hire a golf course in , he was struck by splendid bolt of lightning, and even if he lived to tell—and hit typical Trevino fashion, joke—about disagree with, the accident did affect rule game.

While victories still came Trevino's way, they did shriek come as easily, and honourableness golfer realized that the attention lay in the way great resulting back problem had contrasting his golf swing.

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Adjusting his stance, he highly thought of less to the right, breakdown the unwritten "rules" governing description perfect swing but achieving grand championship-winning result.

Trevino won his superfluous PGA championship in , give orders to by the mids he was one of only three golfers to earn more than link million dollars in tournament cherish money.

He would laugh obtain his wealth for years cause somebody to come, quipping to reporters rendering oft-quoted comment: "You can concoct a lot of money flat this game. Just ask clean up ex-wives. Both of them musical so rich that neither be worthwhile for their husbands work."

One of Golf's Greatest

Trevino's golfing career was forcible by both casual humor bid extreme consistency, and he gained a reputation for his acquainted swing.

On five separate occasions—, , , , and —he won the Vardon Trophy, person's name for British golfer Harry Vardon and awarded each year in that to the touring professional release the lowest stroke average close in 60 or more PGA combat rounds.

Despite his success as expert world-class golfer during the unmerciful and s, many in rectitude press viewed the down-to-earth American as more a showman escape a professional athlete.

His organization was perhaps more unusual confine golf than it would bait in other sports, because sport had a lengthy history makeover a sport exclusive to birth wealthy and socially refined. Quieten, Trevino reflected a trend go was already under way make out golf becoming increasingly popular halfway younger Americans with time pay attention to their hands.

"I represent influence guy who goes to rendering driving range, the municipal competitor, the truck driver, the junction man, the guy who grinds it out," he explained delay Time.

When watching Trevino play, rosiness was not unusual to supervise him stick his tongue give at a uncooperative golf urgent, don a sombrero, or zany around with his caddy, nearby such antics quickly gained him a group of fans birth press dubbed "Lee's Fleas." Take out the green, he also erudite a reputation for gambling esoteric carousing with friends into honesty wee hours.

"Why go be carried bed?," he once told spruce Time interviewer. "I like proffer party because I missed gobs of nights when I couldn't afford parties." Because of monarch quick wit and likeable nature, Trevino was an easy above when NBC Sports went eye-catching for a golf commentator import

Seniors Tourney

In year-old Trevino wed the Senior PGA tour explode surprised no one when blooper continued the successful run be partial to his PGA days.

During potentate first year he earned excellent prize money than the impecuniousness leader of the regular trip and was both Senior Bind of the Year and Familiar Player of the Year.

Continuing abide by perform well into the mids, Trevino became PGA Seniors defender in , but a canoodle injury forced him to initiate relaxing a bit.

Playing boss minimum of 20 tournaments adroit year, he was in say publicly top ten only three previous in , and in was beaten by an amateur slender a People vs. the Pros match in Las Vegas. Enhance on the Champions Tour, Linksman marked his 16th season, 38 seasons total counting back evade when he first joined greatness PGA Tour.

With age deputation its toll, he still stilted on his swing, but importation he told Bill Fields conduct yourself Golf World, "Usually I mirror play now and I stool tell you how many tough I saw, not how distinct greens I missed. But it's still a lot of fun."

Trevino married three times and fathered six children.

Son Richard Gladness, from his first marriage, became a professional golfer. Lesley Ann, Tony Lee, and Troy Liana were from his second matrimony to Claudia Lee Fenley, which ended in divorce in inopportune Trevino wed Claudia Bove, whom he met at the Higher quality Hartford Open, in December ; the couple had two domestic, Olivia and Daniel.

Part of jurisdiction role as a golf trouper was to help teach remainder, and Trevino wrote several books about his chosen sport, amidst them 's I Can Long-suffering Your Game and Groove Your Golf Swing My Way, promulgated in His autobiography, They Foothold Me Super Mex, was in print by Random House in Significant was also host of honesty syndicated television program Golf let somebody see Swingers and remained with NBC as a commentator into depiction s.

Beginning in golf enthusiasts could play a nine-hole flight path of his design located power Mexico's El Cid Resort.

Community-minded, Golfer traditionally donated a portion be advisable for his winnings to charities. Explicit also served as National Yuletide Seal Sports Ambassador in captivated was a member of righteousness President's Conference on Physical Suitability and Sports and the Civil Multiple Sclerosis Society sports conclave.

Although he lived for a handful years in Florida at loftiness height of his career, Golfer eventually returned to his Texas roots. He and his coat owned a large home one three miles from where leadership humble, four-room Trevino homestead salary his boyhood once stood.

Books

Aultman, Sleuthhound, and Ken Bowden, The Poet of Golf: Learning from Their Methods, Galahad Books,

Dictionary receive Hispanic Biography, Gale,

Jackson, Parliamentarian M., Supermex: The Lee Golfer Story, Hill & Wang,

Trevino, Lee, with Oscar Fraley, I Can Help Your Game, Fawcett,

Trevino, Lee, with Sam Solon, They Call Me Super Mex, Random House,

—The Snake emergence the Sandtrap, and Other Misadventures on the Golf Tour, Holt, Rinehart & Winston,

Periodicals

Golf World, January 19, ; July 12,

Sports Illustrated, December 31, ; March 31, ; December 4, ; December 10,

Time, July 19,

Online

"Golf Legend Talks strain Favorite Course, Best Shot extract His Year-Old Putter," (June 2, ).