The Gift of Gab Helps With His Game of Golf

In the last two British Opens at Muirfield, Lee Trevino finished first in 1972 and second in 1980. Trevino is 47, but Jack Nicklaus wouldn’t be surprised if he won again.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man that hits the ball as consistently straight as that man does,” Nicklaus said after playing a practice round with Trevino, Tom Watson and Greg Norman. “I marvel at him every time I watch him play. I think Lee Trevino can win any time he wants. He’s too good a player not to. And this course suits him.”

Trevino was his usual wisecracking self during the round, causing Nicklaus to remark, “Lee was absolutely amazing. I mean, he never shut up and he never missed a shot.”

When Trevino hit a bunker at the 16th and was too far away from the others to talk, Nicklaus told Watson, “Watch this, he won’t hit this one close to the hole.”

He didn’t.

Add Nicklaus: After the round, he said, “I may put a few pounds on myself.”

No, he isn’t going to put on weight. He had just heard that he was 33-1 in the betting odds.

Add Trevino: When he won at Muirfield in ‘72, he holed out from a bunker on the 17th hole, the ball hitting the flagstick and dropping into the cup.

He said afterward: “I thought I’d blown it when I drove into that trap. God is a Mexican.”

Trivia Time: When Bo Jackson joins Marcus Allen with the Raiders, it will be the fifth time that two Heisman Trophy-winning running backs have played on the same NFL team. Name the other four. (Answer below.)

67 Years Ago Today: On July 16, 1920, Babe Ruth broke his record of 29 homers in a season, set the year before with Boston, by hitting his 30th as the New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-2. Ruth would finish the season with 54 homers.

Former NFL star Rosey Grier said he talked with Brian Bosworth on a recent plane flight and got the impression the linebacker will sign with the Seattle Seahawks.

“He wants to play for a contender, and he thinks Seattle is a contender. So do I. He won’t sit out,” Grier told the Simi Valley Enterprise.

“Many young people don’t have any plans beyond this week, but Bosworth said he has his career planned out. He has a six-month plan, a five-year plan and a lifetime plan. He’s a smart guy with a supportive girlfriend and a supportive father. I was very impressed with him.”

If Mark McGwire is feeling bad after going 0 for 3 and making an error Tuesday night, somebody should tell him about Joe DiMaggio’s first All-Star game.

In 1936, DiMaggio went 0 for 5, made one error and misplayed Gabby Hartnett’s fly ball into a triple as the American League lost for the first time, 4-3. With the bases loaded in the seventh inning, DiMaggio lined out to Leo Durocher to end the threat.

Trivia Answer: 1947 Rams (Tom Harmon-Les Horvath); 1948 Rams (Les Horvath-Bruce Smith); 1984 New Orleans Saints (Earl Campbell-George Rogers); 1986 Dallas Cowboys (Tony Dorsett-Herschel Walker). Note: Of the four teams, the only one with a winning record was the 1948 Rams at 6-5-1.

Quotebook

Greg Norman, defending British Open champion, on his renewed vigor after a couple of weeks off: “The Shark is back, on the prowl and as hungry as ever.”