The Sad Truth Of Lee Trevino | A Short Golf Documentary

if you think today's standard of golf makes it extremely hard to make it on the PGA tour at least today's standards relies solely on the individual's skill set in the making of the PGA Tour when names like Palmer Hogan and Sarazen were lifting the game to new heights golfers were required to have an invitation from another professional and if you weren't in the right Circle or your face didn't fit your dreams could be crushed very quickly an amateur golf would be your only option off the Beaten Track in Garland Texas lived a small family of Mexican descent a mother a grandfather and a small boy named Lee Buck Trevino lived in a beaten down house with no running water and no electricity the father left when Lee was very young which left his grave digging grandfather the job of raising Lee by age five Lee was working in the fields and by age 8 rarely attended schools he was forced to work to put food on the table at the age of 14 Lee had complete lately left school and began working as a caddy at the Dallas Athletic Club he earned thirty dollars a week caddying and shoe shining which was quite a nice steady wage after work he'd stay behind in practice hitting balls off extremely tight lies with little to no grass something that forced him to catch the ball perfect or he'd receive an uncomfortable rattle of his arms the next few years started shaping Lee into a man that it was really starting not to like the continuous peer pressure from older gentlemen was leading Trevino down a slippery path noticing this Lee decided to join the Marines as a machine gunner and was then posted in Japan away from all the distractions for the first time in his life Lee had discipline and routine something he'd never had because of his relaxed upbringing so preparing himself for a tour of the unknown Lee was all packed and ready to be sent out on his first mission however whilst boarding the ship some of Lee's documents got messed up and they had no idea where to send not knowing what to do with him Lee's Captain asked if he played any sports Lee responded I play golf I guess with that the captain was straight on the phone and Lee had two rounds to prove himself to the coach of the golf team the first round they shot a nervy 78 but day two shot a stunning 67 and with that Lee was allowed to join the third main division golf team lead literally dodged a bullet if he didn't make that golf team he would have been posted in Vietnam and his chances of survival would have been slim instead for the next two years Lee played golf for seven days a week and that was essentially his amateur practice after being discharged from the Army Trevino was kind of lost and began playing his golf at Tennyson park there was a lot of money floating around Tennyson Park back in the day and it was widely known as a Hustler's Paradise with big stake money matches being played on The Daily not knowing who he was Lee got right amongst it straight away having money back matches with people whilst not having a dime to his name now that's pressure after a while his name got around and people weren't going to be stupid enough to put their money on the line against this little Bandit needing another source of income but wanting to carry on playing golf Trevino turned Pro and got a job at a driving range which gave him the option to apply for the PGA Tour Lee needed a signature from another professional before he could apply and now working with one he thought this would be plain sailing but he'd be wrong his boss refused to sign Trevino's letter saying that he needed more foundation in his life Lee took that to heart and quit immediately hoping somebody local would sign his card but nobody in the Dallas area wanted to know see although Lee was a good golfer other people saw him as a poor Outsider and weren't willing to put their name on the line with the dream put on hold Lee went back to what he knew best gambling he moved to El Paso and started hustling deep pocket cotton Farmers dressing open Mexican disguise and hustling to make a living the problem was Lee was a no-nonsense rough and tough guy who didn't take any crap from no one and the image that the PGA was trying to create meant he just didn't fit in while doing his own thing and thinking the game was up there was one man that took a shine to Lee his name was Bill eschenbrenner and he was willing to put his name forward to the PGA and give Trevino his signature in fact Bill said he'd personally go to the PGA meeting put his name forward and if he doesn't live up to the expectation they could take away his PJ card as well that was some statement and a statement that convinced the PGA Tour and gave Trevino a chance at the age of 26 Lee's long-awaited time had come he qualified for the US Open in 1966 making the cut time for 54. earning 600 he qualified again in 1967 shooting three over eight shots behind champion Jack Nicholas and only fall behind runner-up Arnold's Palmer Trevino earned six thousand dollars for finishing fifth which earned him his tall privileges for the rest of the 1967 season he won 26 000 as a rookie 45th on the PGA tour money list and was named Rookie of the Year by Golf Digest the fifth place finished at the US Open also earned him an exemption into the following Year's Event so Bill's PGA card was safe and Lee had proven he was good enough for the tour however his attitude hadn't changed and the USGA still wasn't happy about him being there 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 Jack Nicholas the defending Champion Trevino's hard work and determination made him Nicholas's biggest rival in the 1970s the five foot seven pocket Rocket's grueling practice schedule consisted of one thousand balls one hour of putting in 18 holes every day that work ethic SAR Trevino have a remarkable string of Victories during a 20-day Span in the summer of 1971. he defeated Nicholas 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 Sportsman of the year and was named ABC's athlete of the Year this newfound Fame meant Trevino had made it but what Lee didn't expect and could have never have planned for was how much people loved him Lee's mannerisms on the golf course were loved by many and he brought a new sense of humor to the sometimes too serious sport however this mask Lee was wearing hit a deep dark side in Trevino's private life on the course he was this energetic guy who seemed a little loopy talking to himself as he walked the cars but that was all the coping mechanism after the lights had gone out and the curtains closed Lee would go back to his hotel room and never leave he hated the fame and he hated the press Lee just wanted a quiet life and people hadn't misunderstood with the anxiety flowing through his veins amazingly none of this ever affected his golf in 1972 at mirfield Scotland Trevino became the first player to successfully defend the Open Championship since Arnold Palmer in 1962. Trevino had five consecutive birdies from the 14th through the 18th hauling a bunker shot on the 16th and sinking a 30-foot chip on the 18th for a round of 66. in the final round travina was tied for the lead on the 17th tee with Tony Jacklin Trevino chipped in from the Roth at the back of the green for a power on the 17th a shaken Jacqueline three putted the same hole from 15 feet for bogey Trevino pad the 18th hole for a final round of 71 winning the open by a stroke of a necklace with Jacqueline finishing third Trevino hold out four times from off the greens during that tournament Nicholas had won the first two majors of the year the Masters in the US Open and fell just short in the Third Leg of the Grand Slam after hauling his Chip Shot on the 17th in the final round Trevino said and the greatest chipper in the world and nobody could deny him that crown with three of the four Mages in the bag the fourth and final part of the puzzles seemed extremely harder than the others to get over the line at the Masters Lee fell out of place he had more in common with the people working there than he did with the members and he just didn't like the culture Trevino said that he felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere at Augusta National and that he disliked the course because of his style of play Trevino did not accept invitations to the Masters in 1970 1971 and 1974. in 1972 after four go in the previous two Masters Tournaments his star destroyed and other items in the trunk of his car rather than use the locker room facilities in the clubhouse Trevino complains that he had 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 the greatest mistake I've made in my career and called Augustine National the eighth wonder of the world with the Masters pushed aside Lee wasn't slowing down winning everything else in 1974 Trevino won the greater New Orleans open without scoring any bogeys the only time it had happened in the PGA Tour individual event until JT Poston accomplished this feat at the 2019 Wyndham Championship at the PGA Championship in 1974 Lee won the title by a stroke again over Jack Nicholas the fourth and final time Nicholas was a runner-up in a major to Trevino Lee used a pottery found in a friend's attic only days before and had only one three port on the 71st hole it was the first year since 1969 in which Nicholas did not win a major championship but he did regain the title the following year Lee's career was a staggering one this far and with a lifestyle that didn't exactly resemble an athlete he'd done amazing not to get injured if something was going to injury it would need to be God himself just to get through that thick skin of his 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 disc but back problems continue to hamper his play with lightning striking and bankruptcy and divorce all hitting around the same time Lee was starting from scratch again the one thing that separated Trevino from all the other professionals was how hard he worked and if there was ever a man to come from nothing lose it all and make it all back again it was Lee in the early 80s Trevino's quest to rebuild began he had three PGA Tour wins in 1980 and finished runner-up to Tom Watson in the 19 80 Open Championship however it was the long-awaited major that travina was searching for and after 10 years and at the age of 44 people fought his time had passed the people were wrong once again though and Trevino won his sixth and final major at the PGA Championship in 1984. with a score of 15 under par Lee became 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 shoots in 1937. from 1968 to 1981 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 but with two divorces and two bankruptcies from Bad Investments every penny lead made from a legendary career was gone Lee knew if he had a good career on the seniors tour he could recoup a lot of his money live a good life and have money left over to give to his kids Lee 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 and topless seniors money list in 1990 and 1992. for 10 years from 1990 to 2000 Lee became the most successful player in the tallest history and to this day sits at third behind Hale Irwin and Bernard Langer so after a turbulent career that took so long to get started and was nearly never meant to be Lee hung up his spikes with 92 professional wins a man who could easily have quit at so many points in his life but had a passion in the work ethic to make it happen Lee is loved by so many and misunderstood at the same time but the numbers don't lie and travina was an all-time great his entry into the World Golf Hall of Fame will see his name live on forever and his legacy live on but what people will truly remember is Lee's Gold Heart [Music] foreign

Channel: Mitchell Blades

Views: 190,284

Keywords: Lee Trevino, lee trevino documentary, golf documentaries, golf documentary, lee trevino golf swing, lee trevino golf lessons, lee trevino chipping, lee trevino swing, lee trevino happy gilmore, lee trevino highlights, lee trevino golf swing slow motion, lee trevino putting, lee trevino interview, lee trevino grip, lee trevino short game, lee trevino driver swing, lee trevino wedge play, lee trevino and charlie woods, lee trevino and gary player, lee trevino and lightning

Id: vXu2o251djM

Length: 13min 21sec (801 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 21 2023