Lee Trevino recounts how he managed to keep Jack Nicklaus away from competing against him using 360 roses
Lee Trevino this week shared a story about another legendary player, Jack Nicklaus, and their early days on the PGA Tour Champions. Trevino recounted how several dozen roses helped him keep his rival and friend from competing as much as possible.
Nicklaus and Trevino made their respective PGA Tour Champions debuts just a month apart, the former in January 1990 and the latter in December 1989. Recounting a story from that time this week, Trevino said that when he realized they would both be joining the senior circuit together, he spoke to Jack Nicklaus' wife, promising her a dozen roses for every tournament that kept "The Golden Bear" home.
In a video shared on the official PGA Tour Champions X (formerly Twitter) account, Lee Trevino said,
"I started playing in 1990 on the Champions Tour...I was waiting to get out there and they were kind of waiting for me to get out there because Nicklaus and I were both turning 50 about the same time, even though Jack, Jack never played a lot of tournaments. I don't think he ever played more than six or eight tournaments in one year."
He added,
"I actually talked to Nicklaus' manager and the wife, Nicklaus' wife. I told Barbara, I said, 'Listen, for every tournament that I enter, if you keep Jack at home, I will send you a dozen roses.' That year I played 38 tournaments and I sent Barbara Nicklaus 30 dozen roses because she kept him home 30 of the tournaments. I was leading money winner that year." [0:39]
Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino are two of the biggest legends of golf. Nicklaus is the all-time leader in major championships with 18, part of his 72 PGA Tour tournament wins. Trevino won 29 tournaments on the American Tour, including six major championships.
Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino as PGA Tour Champions
Jack Nicklaus made his debut on the PGA Tour Champions in January 1990, playing in four tournaments that season, winning two. He also played in several PGA Tour events that year.
His record of cuts on the senior circuit reads 81 cuts in 84 tournaments played. He won 10 tournaments, seven of them considered majors in the category, and finished in the top 10 in another 31. His career on the circuit lasted from 1990 to 2005.
Lee Trevino's participation in the PGA Tour Champions began in December 1989, and he played one tournament that year. In 1990, he played the entire season, participating in 28 events, winning seven and finishing in the top 10 19 times. He also played a few tournaments on the PGA Tour that year.
Trevino played a total of 396 PGA Tour Champions events between 1989 and 2011. He won 29 of them, including four majors, and finished in the top 10 in 124 others.