Of the 87 men who have enjoyed the thrill of winning The Open, Lee Trevino surely has one of the most unlikely and uplifting life stories to tell.
A two-time Champion Golfer of the Year, courtesy of back-to-back triumphs in 1971 and 1972, Trevino delighted British crowds with his magical shot-making and engaging personality.
To witness his successes at Royal Birkdale and Muirfield was to see a player totally at home on the links, blessed with the skills to thrive when taking on golf’s truest test.
Yet, remarkably, Trevino had no awareness of The Open only a decade prior to his first win. It is not an exaggeration to say lifting the Claret Jug was an achievement far beyond his own wildest dreams.
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“I had no clue that there was an Open Championship or a U.S. Open or a Masters or anything like that until probably 1961, ’62 or ’63,†said Trevino. “I had no clue what the history was of The Open Championship. I had no clue who Old Tom Morris was, or Young Tom Morris, or (Allan) Robertson, none of those guys.
“I didn’t really get into it until after I had played two or three times, and then I got to the point where I started reading a little more about it. I learned a lot about the history of the game.â€
Trevino may not have been familiar with The Open growing up, but it took him little time to make an impression on golf’s original championship after he finally made his debut at age 29.
To read more on Lee Trevino at The Open, read our latest Chronicles Unseen article at https://www.theopen.com/latest/lee-trevino-chronicles-unseen.
The R&A
