Sure, Lee Trevino won six major championships and earned a reputation as one of the greatest shotmakers in golf history. But the “Merry Mex” became nearly as famous for his jocular on-course personality. This is a man, after all, who tossed a rubber snake at Jack Nicklaus on the first tee – before their 18-hole playoff for the 1971 U.S. Open!
It’s possible that Trevino has been falsely credited with a few of the following gems. Then again, there’s no telling how many of his most clever lines never made it beyond the gallery ropes. Enjoy some of Trevino’s knee-slapping sound bites:
- “Columbus went around the world in 1492. That isn't a lot of strokes when you consider the course.”
- “If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron.”
- “You don't know what pressure is until you've played for $5 a hole with only $2 in your pocket.”
- “My swing is so bad I look like a caveman killing his lunch.”
- “I'm in the woods so much I can tell you which plants are edible.”
- “I'm not saying my golf game went bad, but if I grew tomatoes they would have come up sliced.”
- “Putts get real difficult the day they hand out the money.”
- “I'm a golfaholic. And all the counseling in the world wouldn't help me.”
- “One of the nice things about the Senior Tour is that we can take a cart and cooler. If your game is not going well, you can always have a picnic.”
- “I still swing the way I used to, but when I look up the ball is going in a different direction.”
- “There are two things that won’t last long in this world – dogs that chase cars and pros that putt for pars.”
- “Nobody but you and your caddie care what you do out there, and if your caddie is betting against you, he doesn't care, either.”
