Lee Trevino won each of the 4 professional golf major championships twice, claiming the U.S. Open title in 1968 and 1971.

Trevino was born near Dallas, and was raised by his mother and grandfather. He attended school sporadically. By the age of 5, he started working in the cotton fields.

As a youngster, his uncle gave him some golf balls and an old golf club. He'd sneak on to local country club courses to practice and worked as a caddy as a young boy.

At age 14, Lee left school altogether to go to work. He earned $30 a week as a caddie and a shoe shiner, but he was able to practice. He'd hit at least 300 balls a day on the Texas hardpan which developed his unique swing and he is known to this day as one of the finest "shot-makers" in the history of golf.

At age 17, Trevino enlisted in the Marine Corps and spent 4 years as a machine gunner. Some of his time in the Marines was spent playing golf with the officers in the Marine Corps and even played in some Armed Forces golf events in Asia.

After he was discharged from the Marines, he became a club pro in El Paso. Trevino earned extra money in head-to-head matches … gambling in other words. In 1966, Trevino qualified for the U.S. Open and made the cut, taking home a grand total of $600.

The next year, he finished 8 shots behind Jack Nicklaus, who won the 1967 U.S. Open at -5. This garnered Trevino a $6,000 paycheck and tour privileges for the rest of that season, in which he eventually was named Golf Digest's Rookie of the Year, taking home $26,472 for the year.

In 1968 at Oak Hill, he bested runner-up Nicklaus by 4 strokes to win his first major.

Trevino would win 29 events on the PGA Tour over the course of his career.

In the 1975 Western Open, Trevino was struck by lightning. A reporter asked him what he would do if it got stormy again on the course.

Lee thought for a moment and said that he'd take out his 1-iron and point it to the sky, "because not even God can hit a 1-iron," though he recanted many years later in an interview with David Feherty.

"I deserved to get hit…God can hit a 1-iron."

"I've been hit by lightning and been in the Marine Corps for 4 years," Trevino explained. "I've traveled the world and been about everywhere you can imagine. There's not anything I'm scared of … except my wife."

If you're into golf, sit back and enjoy the 124th playing of the United States Open this weekend. A lot of great history and great golf has been played in this tournament over the years.

The winner's share of this weekend's tournament provides $4.3 million to the winner. A far cry from the hustling that Trevino had to do in his early career just to make it on tour.

As always,

Brian

P.S. — Trevino's approach to golf reminds me of a quote from Jerry Seinfeld that I came across several weeks ago.

"Learn to accept your mediocrity. No one's really that great. You know who's great? The people that just put a tremendous amount of hours into it. It's a game of tonnage."

I don't coach golf, I'm not that great of a player or even good at the sport. But I love it.

However, I do coach people.

We may be able to help you figure out what it takes to create your own "touch."