Lee Trevino doesn’t mince words. Yet, are we noticing a change of heart from the 1981 Hall of Famer? After expecting LIV Golf to fail earlier this year, Trevino has spoken on how the rebel league could co-exist with other mainstream Tours. He also gave an indication of where the leagues will be heading on the basis of his experiences from the 60s PGA break.
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Lee Trevino thinks LIV Golf is feasible
At a Lone Star Legends luncheon at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, where he is enshrined, Trevino spoke his heart out about the recent happenings in golf. His first line set the tone for what was to be followed.
“I may not know much, but I know that LIV Golf has made people a heck of a lot of money,” he said.
Trevino also compared the Saudi-backed league to the PGA break in 1969. “This LIV thing is the same thing that we did when we broke from the PGA in 1969,” he said. While the 6-time Major Championship winner claimed he stayed put initially, a multitude of players moved on, which gave birth to the PGA Tour.
For the PGA-LIV conflict, Trevino believed a stable position for both leagues, both politically and financially, will ease off any issues. “As long as Europe is stable and the Saudis [are stable], then this will be fine,” he said.
Trevino thinks he came along too early
Along the same lines, the former Mexican-American golfer weighed on the prospects of the recently concluded LIV Golf Series. He was content with the amount of money LIV Golf was awarding its golfers. His good friend, Pat Perez, was one of the beneficiaries. The 46-year-old made a cool $8 million this year in merely eight starts.
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“I look at my friend Pat Perez who made $8 million this year and I think, I came along too early,” Trevino chuckled. Not just LIV golfers, the recent changes in the PGA Tour prize money structure have also filled the pockets of faithful golfers.
For someone who won 29 PGA Tour titles during his days, Trevino’s total on-course earnings stood at $3,478,328. No doubt there is a wind of change.
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Watch this story: Bryson DeChambeau, who is facing repercussions for joining LIV, suffers yet another major setback.