Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus are three of the very best golfers of all-time.
The trio have a seriously impressive 33 majors between them, with Nicklaus the standout with 18 of those major wins to his name.
Of course, the three competed with each other on a number of occasions over the years and between them, we have seen some of the greatest golf we’ve ever witnessed.
Still, while Nicklaus is the top man and arguably the greatest golfer ever, Lee Trevino has actually suggested in the past that there was one thing that he and Gary Player had that Nicklaus didn’t.
Lee Trevino says why he and Gary Player have one up on Jack Nicklaus
There’s been some marvellous quotes over the years from all three of these golfers but when it comes to Trevino, he is as engaging as they come.
The six-time major champion has a way with words and whether it be giving coaching tips out or simply speaking about his time as a PGA Tour player, Trevino is brilliant.
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In fact, looking back at some comments from 2022 from Trevino, he once spoke of why he believes both he and Player had one edge over Nicklaus.
“I don’t play as much golf as I used to, but I hit balls and chip and putt every day to stay sharp. People still want me to play, so I want to stay sharp so I can still perform. I played nine days in a row with my guys at Bighorn Palm Desert last month. It was great, but I had to stay in bed three days in a row to recover when I got home,” Trevino told Sports Illustrated.
“Why do you play so much when your other contemporaries have retired and are enjoying their golf-earned success or moved on to something else?
Golf is the life for me. That’s the only thing I know. I think that’s one thing me and Gary have over Jack. He likes to design courses, go fishing and flying, but golf is still my career. I can still hit balls and play. I still do about 10 outings a year and still play at my courses here in Dallas.”
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What Jack Nicklaus said about Lee Trevino as a golfer
It takes some doing to get into the category of golfer who could give Jack Nicklaus trouble.
The Golden Bear was that good that he could beat anyone easily on his day. However, when it came to other golfers, Nicklaus has admitted that Trevino was among the players who caused him issues.
“If I saw Palmer, Player, Casper, Watson, Trevino on the leaderboard, I knew I better play.
“Watson and Trevino were probably the two guys who gave me the most trouble down the stretch. They were both terrific competitors.
“Trevino and I came down the stretch several times, and Watson and I came down the stretch, and frankly, they got me probably more than I got them. But truth be known, I probably got them a few times too.”
It very much was a golden era for the sport and while we are blessed in the modern day with the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and of course, Tiger Woods, this time period was a joy for those watching.
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