Trevino and Watson

[PCCraig]

Pat:

Lee's "act" was calculated.

Famous story when Jacklin and Lee were set to tee it up.

Jacklin said he preferred limited talking during the round.

Lee's comeback ... "Ok, I'll talk -- you just listen."

Yeah yeah...I've heard how "smart" he was for being so talkative during a round...I don't give him enough credit to think he knew what he was doing until later when someone told him how smart he was.

[Tim Martin]

Pat:

Lee's "act" was calculated.

Famous story when Jacklin and Lee were set to tee it up.

Jacklin said he preferred limited talking during the round.

Lee's comeback ... "Ok, I'll talk -- you just listen."

I agree that Lee`s act was calculated and honed over many years of money games in Texas. Lee knew that the incessant talking would bother some but that he could get away with it because it was not mean spirited in nature. Even if it was a way to keep himself calm it also would occasionally have an adverse effect on a player that could not filter it out. There are many forms of gamesmanship and some much more subliminal than others.

[Matt_Ward]

The thing about Trevino is that he was raised on high stakes money games where you needed to turn it on at specific times when the odds were in your favor.

Frankly, I admire people who came to tour like Lee -- Larry Nelson and Calvin Peete, are two other examples, they didn't go the college route -- but clearly could play the game.

Frankly, I rate Lee very highly among all the players I have personally seen. Easily makes my personal top ten that I have seen firsthand. Winning two US Opens in a three year period speaks volumes -- ditto defending his Open Championship because that event at Muirfield is easily among the ten best majors I have seen in my lifetime.

[David Lott]

Trevino earned the right to his attitude. ANGC be damned.

[Mike_Clayton]

Trevino was playing with John Bland a few years ago and they were talking about the hybrid clubs.
He said to Bland 'do you know how may times I would have won at Augusta if I had had that club in my bag?'

[Sam Morrow]

Trevino was playing with John Bland a few years ago and they were talking about the hybrid clubs.
He said to Bland 'do you know how may times I would have won at Augusta if I had had that club in my bag?'

How many?

[Mike_Trenham]

I give Trevino credit for skipping the Masters.  Times were different.  Changes that were needed were made because of tough characters like Lee Trevino.  There were some real bastards in charge of Augusta in that era.

Yes the talking may have been a bit of gamemanship but did he ever keep his mouth shut for an entire round to bother a guy like Hogan?

I worship very few golfers but when I do they are often Texans.

[Will MacEwen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5J43wMQXZ4

I could listen to Lee talk golf all day.

[Matt_Ward]

Amazing thing about Watson is how close he did come to winning two different majors at one venue -- Oakmont.

In the '83 Open he went out in 30 on the final round and was paired w Seve -- that past April Seve blitzed a crew of golfers - -- including Watson -- with a very hot start to the last round -- unfortunately CBS was unable to show that scoring blitz.

Watson played Oakmont's 10th hole in a sloppy fashion and allowed others to creep closer to him. Eventually, Larry Nelson bagged the title on the following day with a 60-foot bomb at the 16th hole and when Watson missed a short birdie try at the 71st hole - the championship was lost. Watson was very close to defending his title there.

Five years earlier Watson was in great shape to win the PGA title -- also at Oakmont. Again, a few loose shots down that stretch caused a playoff w Jerry Pate and John Mahaffey.

One other event worth noting -- I have never heard a sound and really thought out reply from Watson on why he was so aggressive with his aopproach shot to The Road Hole during the '84 Open ?

[PThomas]

Matt - and dont forget Watson was right in the thick of things at the 94 Open at Oakmont until a bad last round killed his chance there...so 3 close calls at 1 venue without winning there...wonder if any other golfer has had a similar experience other than Augusta...

[Matt_Ward]

Paul:

The '94 situation you outlined wasn't as near as what Watson gave away at the '78 PGA and '83 US Open.

People forget how dominant Watson was in that time period.

[PThomas]

I remember watching Watson at his peak Matt and finding it hard to believe how good of a putter he was, esp on the short ones that basically killed his career........

[Matt_Ward]

Paul:

The biggest "bomb" putt I ever saw both featured Watson -- the one he dumped on Jack at the par-3 15th (?) at Turnberry in '77 -- just incredible after Jack had hit his approach that much closer and on the flip side the one Nelson drained in the early morning Monday time frame at the par-3 16th at Oakmont in '83.

The only other serious contender I would throw into that mix was Crenshaw's bomb at the 10th at ANGC.

[Phil Benedict]

Paul:

The biggest "bomb" putt I ever saw both featured Watson -- the one he dumped on Jack at the par-3 15th (?) at Turnberry in '77 -- just incredible after Jack had hit his approach that much closer and on the flip side the one Nelson drained in the early morning Monday time frame at the par-3 16th at Oakmont in '83.

The only other serious contender I would throw into that mix was Crenshaw's bomb at the 10th at ANGC.

I'd throw the bomb Hale Irwin made on the 72nd hole at Medinah when he won the US Open in a playoff into this mix.

[PThomas]

Paul:

The biggest "bomb" putt I ever saw both featured Watson -- the one he dumped on Jack at the par-3 15th (?) at Turnberry in '77 -- just incredible after Jack had hit his approach that much closer and on the flip side the one Nelson drained in the early morning Monday time frame at the par-3 16th at Oakmont in '83.

The only other serious contender I would throw into that mix was Crenshaw's bomb at the 10th at ANGC.

yea it was 15 Matt, a 60 footer from way off the green that hit a couple of bumps along the way but went in...i read once where Jack literally was knocked back on his heels when that one went in...Jack had a 3 stroke lead early in that final round, Tom tied him, then Jack went back up by 2 with 6 holes to play - and lost by one

Frand Deford in Sports Ill wrote a very good lengthy essay on that tournament years later.....think in it Tom revealed how at first he HATED links golf...

probably the greatest golf tournament of all time...both of them paired together for the last 2 rounds...Jack did 65 and 66 , Tom 65 65,,,incredible....Hubert Green i think was third , about 8 shots back

maybe Jack's finest hour, the way he threw his arm around Tom as they left 18 green...now THAT is one of golf's greatest pictures for sure

[JohnV]

The bomb that Nick Price made on the 17th at Turnberry for eagle when he beat Parnevik was a pretty good one also.

[Matt_Ward]

What's amazing about Watson is that despite his wins at The Open -- the inability to win at The Old Course is a blemish -- albeit a minor one.

I'm still puzzled at just how aggressive Watson was with the 2-iron he hit for his approach. Very little to be gained and much to be lost.

People talk about what Seve did that day -- yes indeed. But Watson provided a bit of a cushion by his cough-up at The Road Hole that day.