Fred Albers wrote an article about Tony Trevino, Lee Trevino's son, this weekend. You can read it here. Below is the June 17, 1968 article on Lee Trevino's U.S. Open win. The photo is Trevino celebrating after winning the Cadillac NFL Golf Classic June 25, 2000. (AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer)
Pandemonium reigned in El Paso golf centers Sunday as Lee Trevino charged to a record-tying victory in the USGA National Open tournament at Rochester, N.Y.
Trevino, a pro-owner at Horizon Hills Country Club and a popular favorite for his showing in his first year on the tournament rail and for his voluable and open personality, fired a fourth sub-par round with Sunday’s 69 for a record-tying 275. He was four strokes in front of defending champion Jack Nicklaus, whose record of a year ago he tied.
And El Paso fans, gathered around televisions sets through the city and at local courses, whooped and hollered with each successful stroke.
Claudia Trevino, his slim blond wife, watched at the Horizon Hills clubroom and said afterwards “I just don’t feel a thing. I’ll feel it later, when I’m alone and can think about and can cry all I want to. But right now I just don’t feel a thing.”
Mrs. Trevino was surrounded by some 400 Horizon members and friends who were celebrating the victory of “our boy.”
Don Whittington, who with cousin jess Whittenton, the ex-Green Bay Packer star, shares ownership of the Horizon club with Trevino, said everyone went crazy.
“We’re celebrating with an hour of free drinks and the bill is going to be over $1,000 but isn’t it great? He’s a great man,” enthused Whittington.
(Whittington made no reference to Trevino’s nationally-quoted statement about an entire evening of free drinks if the stocky swinger won the championship.)
Don said Trevino plans to go to Toronto Monday to compete in the Canadian Open, and Mrs. Trevino added that his plans call for him to play in the Cleveland open June 27-30 and the Buick Open at Grand Blanc, Mich., July 4-7 before returning to El Paso.
Many fans were anxious to start a movement to greet the new champion on his return to El Paso, but everything seemed held in abeyance until Trevino’s schedule could be determined.
“He said he was going to the Canadian Open,” Whittington said. “But that man! – He might come here tomorrow, you can’t tell.”
At Ascarate Golf Course another large group watched Trevino’s play in color in the “little club room” of Ascarate Golf Course Association, cheering each shot and shouting praises and encouragement for the champ.
There were prayers that Trevino would set a record, and then cautions to “win the tournament, forget the record” when problems arose on the late holes.
“He’s just playing it commercial,” commented Manny Martinez, new winner of the Rayburn’s tourney at Ascarate, as Trevino missed the last two greens. “He’s four strokes in front and can afford a bogey here. A double bogey would be worse. He’s just going for the fat part of the green and trying to putt.”
His analysis was accurate, but it also seemed unimportant to the gathering. They were happy. Their boy was winning the biggest one of all, and they were riding with him.
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