Staid Augusta, Trevino Still Seem to Be at Odds

Here in the cathedral of pines, where the sport of gah-wuff (local pronunciation) is taken seriously, Lee Trevino has always made the worshipers a little uneasy. He always disliked this place, and this place always reciprocated.

For one thing, Lee didn’t care much for the, uh, Southern atmosphere here at the Masters tournament.

Saturday, for example, Trevino was playing one hole behind Jim Thorpe, one of two black players in the tournament. Thorpe had just carded a double-bogey 6 on No. 3.

“You’re OK,” Trevino called out to Thorpe, on the next tee. “Six ain’t bad. It’s better than seven.”

Then Trevino turned to the gallery and said:

“Damn, we’re lucky we ain’t mowin’ the grass here. At least we’re playin ‘.”

But kidding aside, a funny thing is happening here. For only the second time in the 14 times Trevino has teed up in this tournament, he has a real chance to win.

This weekend at Augusta National, Lee Trevino and the Masters tournament have started treating each other with a little respect.

Trevino shot a par 72 Saturday to take himself into today’s final round tied for fifth, three strokes behind the leader, Raymond Floyd.

Trevino three-putted three greens and missed a few fairways. But when the dust cleared, he was high up on the leader board.

If Trevino rallies today to win this thing, the green sport-coat presentation ceremony would be the most intriguing award ceremony since a chagrined Pete Rozelle handed a Super Bowl trophy over to a smirking Al Davis in 1981.

What would happen?

Would tournament chairman Hord W. Hardin help Trevino into a coat with sleeves eight inches too long, just for fun?

Would Trevino use the coat to clean off his pitching wedge?

Would an azalea vine snake out and wrap itself around Trevino’s neck?

Or would everyone smile and shake hands, and live happily ever after?

One thing is sure: Trevino would be happy.

If his career is a brilliant and colorful painting, then a victory in the Masters is the missing brush stroke that prevents it from being considered a masterpiece.

And time is running out.

Trevino has won the British Open twice, the U.S. Open twice, the PGA Championship twice and 21 other tournaments.

But every time he plays Augusta, a light goes on that says Tilt .

His best finish here was a tie for 10th in 1975.

He just never felt comfortable here. This tournament fit his game and his sensibilities like a cheap pair of shoes.

From the start, from his first appearance here in 1968, Trevino was put off by the sociological overtones of Augusta National.

Here he was, a dark-skinned man of Mexican ancestry, a muni-course hustler with a tattoo on his right arm and a reputation for irreverence.

And here was Augusta National, then lily-white and upper-crust.

There were problems. Trevino gave a clubhouse pass to a black friend one year, but there was a misunderstanding of some kind and the friend was denied access to the clubhouse.

Four years ago, Trevino tried to bring his own caddy to the Masters but was thwarted by tournament officials who wouldn’t waive the ancient club rules (now golfers may use their own caddies).

A couple of years in a row, Trevino refused to use the players’ locker room. He changed his shoes in the parking lot, in his car.

Twice he even skipped the tournament entirely, truly a major-league snub.

He explained that this course wasn’t suited to his game. Augusta National is the Temple of Boom, with fairways tailored to the big hitters, and Trevino’s specialty is placement and position.

So why is he suddenly on the leader board going into the final round?

Simple. A change of attitude.

Trevino is 45 years old. He has been a touring pro for 19 years. He is phasing himself out of golf and into TV commentary.

Last year, he surprised everyone, possibly including himself, by winning the PGA Championship by four strokes, his first victory since 1981.

Suddenly, he realized there was still hope to fill in that missing brush stroke, the Masters. So instead of coming to Augusta with a chip on his shoulder, he came in with a mission.

He got a pep talk from his wife, and he vowed to abstain from drinking beer this weekend. For the first time, Trevino promised himself he would not be intimidated by Augusta National’s long fairways and staid traditions.

That’s not to say that a complete peace accord has been reached between Trevino and the Masters.

Witness his comment to Thorpe.

And in Thursday’s opening round, the tournament pairings committee put Trevino, who likes to talk to his partner and to play fast, with Isao Aoki, who plays slow and speaks little English.

A coincidence? Who knows.

On the surface, as the final day dawns, Trevino and the Masters are calm.

But underneath, a storm is brewing.