Lee Trevino receives the 2023 Legacy Award

Lee Trevino receives the 2023 Legacy Award from the Robert Trent Jones Society at their Annual General Meeting at the Tuxedo Club in New York.  

TUXEDO PARK, NY, October 14, 2023 – Today, the Robert Trent Jones Society awarded its second annual Legacy Award to retired professional golfer Lee Trevino for contributions to the game of golf over his lifetime. Trevino, affectionately dubbed “SuperMex”, was a mainstay on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, won 92 tournaments around the world, and participated in several multinational team competitions, including six Ryder Cup appearances. Most notably, he won the 1968 PGA Championship on the Robert Trent Jones redesign at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, which was also the boyhood home of Mr. Jones. In addition to four other major championships, including back-to-back Open Championships in 1971, Trevino won the PGA Championship at the Jones’ designed Tanglewood Golf Club in North Carolina. Trevino also won the Vardon Trophy for low season scoring average five times. 

In presenting the award David Cardwell, Executive Director of the Robert Trent Jones Society said, “The Legacy Award was established in Mr. Jones’ name to honor individuals whose lifetime is committed to expanding the game we all love. It is with great pleasure that we honor Lee Trevino for his numerous contributions to the game, on- and off the course. “ Cardwell made special note of Trevino’s various charitable contributions throughout his career. 

Lee Trevino in accepting the award stated, “I truly respect the care and detail that modern designers like Jones brought to the game. I played hard pan courses as a caddy in Texas and in the marines. Those courses taught me how to scramble, but the designs Jones and his sons developed make you have to think. The pros in my day didn’t fully appreciate that.” Trevino also shared stories from his long career and playing alongside other greats such as Nicklaus, Jacklin and Palmer.   

Robert Trent Jones and the Legacy Award 

Robert Trent Jones is remembered for his genius in golf design, ushering in a modern, post-war feel for the game as represented by iconic course designs and redesigns such as Oakland Hills, Bellerive, Hazeltine and Firestone. That list is virtually endless.

The Robert Trent Jones Society is committed to preserving how Mr. Jones expanded the game, i.e. modern industrial construction techniques, use of statistics to shape course design for all players, care for the environment, improving turf conditions, and of course, “heroic” shot values. He supported municipal golf available to all, mentored countless architects, and expanded modern designs around the world across different climates. 

Most importantly, Mr. Jones pioneered a deep appreciation for the tapestry of the game. Mr. Jones said it best himself in his autobiography, “Golf’s Magnificent Challenge:”

“If I am to be remembered, I hope it is not just for the golf courses I built but for the other contributions as well to the game I love, to the game that has been my life.”

The RTJ Society created the Legacy Award, to honor similar individuals who have electrified the game by their presence and gave so much to golf over a lifetime.

About the Robert Trent Jones Society.  

The Robert Trent Jones Society was created in 2004 and consists of 38 member clubs worldwide designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior. The mission of the Society is to honor Robert Trent Jones Sr. and his work, to preserve the historical information and documents pertinent to the golf courses he designed, and to encourage and support the education of member clubs on the design principles of his courses. The Society has an annual general meeting hosted at one of its member clubs.