Lee Trevino

The Merry Mex who won six majors and was Jack Nicklaus's chief rival in the early 1970s.

Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and 29 PGA Tour events over the course of his career. The Masters Tournament was the only major that eluded him. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "the Merry Mex" and "Supermex", both affectionate nicknames given to him by other golfers.

Quick Facts

Full name

Lee Buck Trevino

Nickname

The Merry Mex, Supermex

Born

1 December 1939

Birthplace

Garland, Texas, U.S.

Height

5 ft 7 in / 1.7 m

Weight

180 lb / 81.6 kg

Residence

Jupiter Island
Florida
U.S.

Children

Lore & Background

Trevino was born in Garland, Texas, into a family of Mexican ancestry. He was raised by his mother, Juanita Trevino, and his grandfather, Joe Trevino, a gravedigger. Trevino never knew his father, Joseph Trevino, who left when his son was small. At age 5, he started working in the cotton fields. He was introduced to golf when his uncle gave him a few golf balls and an old golf club. He left school at age 14 to work as a caddie and shoe shiner. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 17, served four years as a machine gunner, and was discharged in December 1960 as a corporal. After the Marines, he worked as a club professional in El Paso, Texas, and made extra money by gambling for stakes in head-to-head matches.

Reader's Guide

Trevino won the U.S. Open in 1968 at Oak Hill Country Club, four strokes ahead of runner-up Jack Nicklaus. In 1971, he defeated Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open, then won the Canadian Open and The Open Championship in a 20-day span, becoming the first player to win those three titles in the same year. In 1972, he became the first player to successfully defend The Open Championship since Arnold Palmer in 1962. He won the PGA Championship in 1974 and again in 1984 at age 44, his sixth and final major. Trevino won 29 times on the PGA Tour, including six majors. He was at his best in the early 1970s, winning the money list title in 1970, and had six wins in 1971 and four wins in 1972. He claimed 29 senior wins, including four senior majors.

Did You Know?

Trevino was struck by lightning at the Western Open near Chicago in 1975, suffering injuries to his spine.
He worked as a color analyst for PGA Tour coverage on NBC television from 1983 to 1989.
In 2014, Trevino was named 'Golf Professional Emeritus' at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
At the 1989 Masters, 49-year-old Trevino opened with a bogey-free five-under-par 67 to become the oldest to lead the field after a round in the tournament.