By Drea Braxmeier
Manager of Media Relations

At a young age and from humble beginnings, Lee Trevino learned everything he needed to know about golf and growing up. Raised by his mother and maternal grandmother, Trevino grew up without the comforts of a steady family life. At the age of five, Trevino started working in the cotton fields.

Growing up just 100 yards from the Dallas Athletic Club in a three-room shack with no plumbing, Trevino began caddying at eight and worked his way up from there. Each day after working, he would hit hundreds of balls on the range. He also learned how to bet his daily earnings in the hopes of going home with even more.

“You don’t know what pressure is until you play for five bucks with only two in your pocket,” Trevino is known for saying.

Lee Trevino hoists the trophy

Trevino played his first full 18 holes at age 15 during a junior tournament where he shot a 77. At 17, Trevino left home to join the Marines. During his time there, he continued to hone his skills.

In June 1968, Trevino won his first professional event and made sure it was a good one. After firing a record-tying 69-68-69-69–275, Trevino took home his first U.S. Open trophy.

He earned the title again just three years later after an 18-hole playoff with Jack Nicklaus. Within the next 20 days, Trevino continued to make history by taking home titles at both the Canadian Open and the British Open. He defended his British Open title in 1972.

His good fortune at majors did not stop there. Trevino went on to win the PGA Championship in 1974 and again in 1984. In total, Trevino took home 29 victories on the PGA TOUR.

Life continued to have its ups and downs for Trevino. In 1975, he was nearly killed after being struck by lightning while playing in the Western Open. He also lost two fortunes in his lifetime due to bad investments.

His upbringing in the school of hard knocks conditioned Trevino for these situations and he came out a stronger person for it. Now a member of the Champions Tour, Trevino holds the same number of titles there as on the TOUR.