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 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.

During his childhood, Trevino occasionally attended school and worked to earn money for the family.

[citation needed] Many of these practice shots were struck from the bare ground with very little grass (known locally as 'Texas hardpan') and often in very windy conditions.

He played successfully in Armed Forces golf events in Asia, where one rival was Orville Moody, who would follow Trevino to the PGA Tour in the late 1960s.

[9] After Trevino was discharged from the Marines, he went to work as a club professional in El Paso, Texas.

In 1968, his second year on the circuit, Trevino won the U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club, in Rochester, New York, four strokes ahead of runner-up Nicklaus, the defending champion.

In 1972 at Muirfield in Scotland, Trevino became the first player to successfully defend The Open Championship since Arnold Palmer in 1962.

Trevino parred the 18th hole for a final round of 71, winning him the Open by a stroke over Nicklaus, with Jacklin finishing third.

Nicklaus had won the first two majors of the year (Masters, U.S. Open) and fell just short in the third leg of the grand slam.

[11] After holing his chip shot on the 17th in the final round, Trevino said: "I'm the greatest chipper in the world.

"[12] In 1974, Trevino won the Greater New Orleans Open without scoring any bogeys, the only time it had happened in a PGA Tour individual event until J. T. Poston accomplished the feat at the 2019 Wyndham Championship.

He underwent surgery to remove a damaged spinal disk, but back problems continued to hamper his play.

Trevino had 3 PGA Tour wins in 1980 and finished runner-up to Tom Watson in the 1980 Open Championship.

[citation needed] Like many American stars of the era, Trevino played a considerable amount overseas.

He also won two regular European Tour events late in his career at 1978 Benson & Hedges International Open and 1985 Dunhill British Masters.

In 2014 Trevino was named "Golf Professional Emeritus" at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, a position previously held by Sam Snead and Tom Watson.

[22][23][24][25][26] It came despite Trevino's words twenty years earlier, when he said after the 1969 edition: "Don't talk to me about the Masters.

"[27] Trevino said that he felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere at Augusta National and that he disliked the course because his style of play, where he liked to fade low shots left to right, was not suited to the course.

In 1972, after forgoing the previous two Masters tournaments, he stored his shoes and other items in the trunk of his car, rather than use the locker room facilities in the clubhouse.

But he later described his boycott of the Masters as "the greatest mistake I've made in my career" and called Augusta National "the eighth wonder of the world.

[citation needed] Throughout his career, Trevino was seen as approachable and humorous, and was frequently quoted by the press.

[35] During one tournament, Tony Jacklin, paired with Trevino, said: "Lee, I don't want to talk today."