8901290920
DETROIT FREE PRESS
890721
Friday, July 21, 1989
METRO FINAL CHASER
1D
Photo
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1989, Detroit Free Press
GOLF NEEDS TREVINO'S STEADY DIET OF HUMOR
TROON, Scotland -- He is everything that's great about American golf and
everything that's wrong with it. Lee Trevino is a natural competitor and a
more natural entertainer, a man who can bang a few heads together and say,
"Hey, guys, why so serious? This is sports. Enjoy it!"
That's the great part. The problem is, there are so few like him. He is
almost 50, in a young man's game. By rights, there should be a host of
less-wrinkled Americans with bigger followings.
Instead, Lee Trevino came off the 18th green of this British Open as a
surprise early leader Thursday with a four-under 68 at Royal Troon -- and
people went nuts. Fans roared. The interview room quickly filled. You would
think they never get to hear someone this funny, witty, passionate. . . .
REPORTER: Lee, you recently went on a diet. Was the extra weight affecting
your bad back?
TREVINO: It affected my front. I couldn't tie my shoes. It was either go on
a diet, or find loafers with spikes.
REPORTER: Lee, the conditions out there were rather warm today, weren't
they?
TREVINO: Yeah. It's pretty hot in this tent, too. What are you guys doing
in here, frying eggs?
REPORTER: Lee, can you describe what winning this tournament would mean to
you?
TREVINO: It would be unbelievable. God. I couldn't even describe. . . . I
mean, to win it at 50 years old? I don't know what I'd do. I might never
leave! I might build a little house up on the 17th green and stay here
forever.
A leader in charisma, too
Trevino trails leader Wayne Stephens by two shots. Two years ago, at
Muirfield, Trevino was also in the front pack after the first day. But then
he was alone in charisma, as he is now. It is a matter that should concern the
powers-that-be of U.S. golf because the fact is, Trevino has not won a
tournament since then -- he hasn't won anything since his miracle PGA
Championship in 1984 -- and he still can outdraw victors such as Scott
Simpson, Steve Jones and Chip Beck. Combined.
So can Jack Nicklaus or even Arnold Palmer -- who Thursday shot the worst
round of any golfer out there, 82. Heck. The Senior Tour in America is
threatening to outshine the regular PGA version. In baseball or basketball,
young studs such as Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan have fans all aflutter. But
in golf, the young Americans win, and we yawn. They seem so serious, so dull,
so lacking in color. When's Jack coming? When's Arnie coming? Where is Super
Mex?
Now, to be fair, not everyone can be as colorful as Trevino. Not everyone
can grow up as a dirt poor Mexican kid, wear a tattoo, hustle folks with a Dr
Pepper bottle taped to the end of his club. Not everyone can find putters in
junkyards and attics.
Not everyone can be asked, as Trevino was Thursday, about a low-flying
plane that rattled players and spectators.
"Yeah, man, did you see that thing? I wasn't sure it would stay in the air.
Those poor people in the bleachers, they had nowhere to hide. I was planning
on diving into a bunker myself."
With experience comes patience
And of course, not everyone can play golf like Trevino. In his day, few
could. He is aggressive, stylish and loves playing these British bump-and-run
courses because "I hit low, so I have an advantage." He has already won two
British Opens (1971 and '72) and says he has learned the key to a third:
"Patience. That's what experience brings you, patience. You're gonna get in
trouble here. Sooner or later, you will hit the rough or the bunker. But the
guy who tries to make a birdie from there will wind up disappearing. You play
for the bogey and maybe be pleasantly surprised with par. When I'm in the
rough here, I don't even look for the flags."
Less is more. Trevino has discovered that on the golf course; he has
discovered it around his waistline as well. A diet last year dropped 22
pounds off his jolly frame. He says he used to tackle the dessert cart at
British hotels.
"And now?" he was asked.
"Now I just ask for the strawberries. No cream, either."
Less is more -- but not always. The American golf scene could use a lot
more Trevino types. It desperately needs more personality, more humor, men who
can get struck by lightning, as Trevino was in the 1975 Western Open, and
laugh about it. Here and around Europe, players such as Seve Ballesteros,
Jose-Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo and Greg Norman are electrifying the
galleries. And while young Americans such as Bob Tway, Jay Don Blake and Tom
Byrum are terrific golfers, to be honest, I'm not sure if lightning would have
much effect on them.
Next year, Trevino and Nicklaus will be 50. They will join Palmer on the
Senior Tour. "I'd be there tomorrow if they let me play," Trevino said. "Then
I could stop competing with these flat-bellied guys and start competing with
the round-bellied guys like myself."
Let's hope that by the time he goes, someone will have stepped forth to
equally capture our attention. Otherwise, the round-bellies might be more fun.
CUTLINE:
Lee Trevino
COLUMN;HUMOR;LEE TREVINO;BRITISH OPEN;GOLF