Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino is an American professional golfer who won six major championships and became one of the leading players of the 1960s and 1970s.
1968 U.S. Open: The U.S. Open held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, in 1968. Trevino won his first major here, beating defending champion Jack Nicklaus by four strokes.
Jack Nicklaus: An American professional golfer who won a record 18 men’s major championships. Trevino repeatedly challenged Nicklaus, including in the 1971 U.S. Open playoff.
Golf swing: The coordinated motion used to strike a golf ball with a club. Trevino’s repeatable swing produced a low, controlled ball flight.
Ryder Cup: A biennial men’s golf team competition between Europe and the United States. Trevino’s Ryder Cup performances and outspoken presence became part of the event’s modern history.
Dallas: A major city in northern Texas, United States. Trevino grew up in Dallas, where he learned golf while working at a local country club.
1971 U.S. Open: The U.S. Open held at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, in 1971. Trevino defeated Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff to claim his second U.S. Open.
Arnold Palmer: An American professional golfer whose popularity helped expand golf’s television audience. Palmer and Trevino were prominent rivals and fellow stars during golf’s television boom.
Golf ball flight laws: The physical principles connecting a golf club’s impact with a ball’s initial direction, spin, and flight. His ability to shape shots depended on controlling the clubface and path at impact.
1971 Ryder Cup: The Ryder Cup contested at Old Warson Country Club in Missouri in 1971. Trevino’s concession of a putt to Tony Jacklin produced the competition’s first tie.
Mexican Americans: People in the United States who have Mexican ancestry or cultural heritage. Trevino’s Mexican American identity shaped how his rise to golf’s elite was understood.