July 24, 2018
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
When Lee Trevino arrives at a golf tournament, patrons and organizers alike turn heads to pay their respects to this golfing legend. At the RBC Canadian Open’s annual Hall of Fame Day, where they enshrine two golfers into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Trevino joined in on the celebration, at a tournament where he had great success. Lee won the Canadian Open three times, joining Sam Snead, Tommy Armour and Leo Diegel (who won four times) as the only golfers to complete this impressive feat. As he spoke to spectators, tournament organizers and pundits on the stage beside the first hole of Glen Abbey, Trevino was humbled and honoured to once again be celebrated in Canada.
“It is an honour to once again be back at the third oldest event on the PGA Tour,” stated Trevino. “Every time you win a country’s national championship, it is a feather in your cap. Regardless of where the tournament is located, winning a country’s open is truly special because the competition is tough.”
Lee Trevino One of Two Golfers to Complete Golf Triple Crown
Not only was Lee Trevino a three-time Canadian Open champion, but he also was a six-time major championship. Arguably the golfer’s greatest year was 1971 when he won the U.S. Open, Canadian Open, and the Open Championship all in the same calendar year. Known as golf’s triple crown, Trevino and Tiger Woods are the only two golfers to complete this stellar accomplishment. As he spoke to members of the media, Trevino recounts his terrific stretch of golf.
“My mind was in a whirlwind coming into the Canadian Open,” said Trevino. “I had just won the U.S. Open at Merion, beating the greatest golfer ever Jack Nicklaus in a playoff.”
“Coming into the Canadian Open, I was on cloud nine. The course in Montreal suited my bump and run style of game. I struggled during that tournament but always was in the mix. Right after an eagle on the first hole during the final round, I knew I would have a good day. I tied Art Wall, who missed a winning putt on the 72nd hole, and then beat him in a playoff. It was such a great feeling to capture my first Canadian Open.”
When many golf pundits believed that Trevino had peaked after winning both the U.S. and Canadian Opens, he continued his stellar play at Royal Birkdale during the Open Championship to hoist the Claret Jug.
“I thought no one would ever achieve the Triple Crown after I had done it,” Trevino stated as he reflects on achieving this epic accomplishment. “Back then, golfers played more tournaments. In the present day, it is difficult to get the best players in the game to compete in these championships because there is so much more money at stake in the majors.”
Lee gets sentimental when discussing Glen Abbey Golf Club. When the course hosted the Canadian Open for the first time, Trevino won the championship, beating Peter Oosterhuis by four strokes.
“The course is much longer today than it was back when I played,” said the three-time Canadian Open winner. “I was a 260-yard hitter. Now, golfers are hitting over 300-plus yard shots in close at holes 16 and 18. With how long the players are hitting the ball, the golf course has yielded a tremendous amount of birdies over the years.”
With worry that Glen Abbey might be torn up and developed into homes, Trevino firmly stated that “he is not in favour of golf courses being developed under any circumstances.”
Jhonattan Vegas Trying to Match Trevino’s Three Canadian Opens
Venezuelan golfer Jhonattan Vegas has three wins on the PGA Tour and two of them are back-to-back RBC Canadian Opens. He is trying to cement himself in historic company with the great Lee Trevino, by being the fourth golfer to have three Canadian Opens.
“I had never won back-to-back Canadian Opens so Vegas has beaten me there,” Trevino stated in a laughing manner to the media.
With evident pressure already being put on Vegas to capture the threepeat, Trevino talked about the importance for Jhonattan to maintain confidence throughout the tournament.
“Confidence is everything. Vegas needs to ask himself how is my game doing coming into the tournament?” stated Trevino. “If he is firing on all cylinders, he will be difficult to beat. But if there are facets of his game that aren’t in full swing, he will be wasting valuable practice time trying to try new things during this tournament, costing him a chance at history with hoisting his third consecutive Canadian Open.” With only one Top-10 finish this year at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, perhaps Vegas needs the familiarity of playing at Glen Abbey to jumpstart his home stretch of tournaments before the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Not only did Trevino showcase his chipping ability on Glen Abbey’s 7th hole, known as “The Rink,” but he wowed the crowd with his comical quotes and masterful storytelling. As a Canadian watching Trevino from afar and up close in person, I truly was proud of his accomplishments not only in golf but what he means to the sport in Canada.
To have someone with a cheerful temperament like Trevino open up the tournament’s festivities by continuing to remind us that the Canadian Open is the “third oldest championship” next to the U.S. and Open Championships, I hope he gets a standing invitation to come back to Canada every year.
