Word: trevino
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There was never much doubt of it back home. True, when Trevino first came out of nowhere to win his first U.S. Open in 1968, many dismissed him as a one-shot upstart. Who, after all, had ever heard of a Chicano champion?a Chicano, moreover, who had learned the game by gambling with easy marks on a Texas pitch-and-putt course? Who could believe a pro golf titlist who looked like a hacker and talked like a hustler...
...seasons since, swaggering down the fairways, wearing gaudy red socks and a grin as wide as the Rio Grande, Trevino has captured the fancy of the fans?and the purses of the Professional Golfers' Association. Since that first U.S. Open triumph, he has won more money ($597,461) and finished among the top ten in more tournaments (79) than any other golfer on the tour. With official P.G.A. earnings of $196,000 so far this season?the $13,200 he won in the British Open is not included in P.G.A. money rankings?he is a cinch to break Billy Casper...
...perennial Big Four?Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Billy Casper?are still potent, and the sport has a host of other aggressive young stars (see box) who in any given week can run off with the big money. Clearly, though, no other golfer is about to match Trevino's record in 1971. At 31, he is in his prime?and is working through the hottest streak of his career. In addition to finishing among the top five money winners in nine of his last 11 tournaments, he is leading the pack in the race for the Vardon Trophy...
Still another test was Trevino's performance last month in the 1971 U.S. Open at the Merion Golf Club on Philadelphia's Main Line. Three strokes off the pace in the first round, Trevino then rallied to tie Jack Nicklaus after 72 holes. At the start of their 18-hole playoff, Trevino playfully tossed a rubber snake at his startled opponent. Then ?smacking gum and wisecracking with the crowd?he jauntily outshot the Golden Bear by three strokes to win the Open for the second time. As Supermex put it when he accepted the trophy: "I think...
Great? That Trevino undoubtedly is. The greatest? Many of the touring pros would vote for Nicklaus, who can outdrive Trevino by 30 yds. and win any tournament when he puts his total game together. Most colorful? Most popular? From the public, there is no argument. That became dramatically apparent at the recent Canadian Open in Montreal. As Arnold Palmer stepped up to the tenth tee, an official on the adjacent first tee announced: "Now on the tee, the U.S. Open champion, Senor Lee Trevino!" Just like that, several hundred spectators deserted Arnie's Army, for years pro golf's largest...