Golf Legend Lee Trevino Once Punched El Paso’s Mayor

Over the weekend, I was watching Happy Gilmore 2 and caught a cameo from legendary golfer Lee Trevino. I knew he was a big deal in the golf world, but what I didn’t know was that Trevino himself was also making headlines thanks to an old story that’s been making its way around the internet.

If you don’t know much about him, Lee Trevino is one of golf’s all-time greats. He won six major championships, served in the Marine Corps, and spent part of his life living right here in El Paso. He’s known for his talent on the course and if you live in East El Paso then you are familiar with the street that is named after him, Lee Trevino.

But aside from being a golf legend, apparently Mr. Trevino isn’t afraid to throw hands when necessary.

 Legendary Lee Trevino Once Punched an El Paso Mayor Over a Golf Bet

In a resurfaced Golf Digest interview, Trevino shared a wild memory from 1978 which was the last time he got into a fistfight. And it just so happened to be with the mayor of El Paso at the time, Ray Salazar.

I first saw the post on my feed from GolfBallin and then FitFam El Paso shared the story and many locals were shocked to read the story because they had never heard about it before! 

According to the Golf Digest interview, Trevino and Salazar had made a $200 bet on who won the 1959 El Paso Open. Trevino was right, it was Marty Furgol, but when he showed up to collect, Salazar brought a TV news camera crew and two bags of pennies and dumped one on his head.

Trevino warned him not to pour the second bag. The mayor laughed and did it anyway. So Trevino punched him. YIKES!

According to the post, after the footage aired Trevino received a flood of congratulatory phone calls because apparently not many people liked the mayor. Yikes!