Hate to be Rude: Lee Trevino

Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride. In the inaugural episode, Jeff Rude has the easy task of getting Lee Trevino to open up.

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• lee
• trevino
• pga
• tour
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[Whaleshark1993]

@goldenbear1986 That is partially true. But if you compare the overall scoring averages of the tour now vs then it is only slightly lower. HOWEVER when Tiger was playing well his scoring average was always consistently lower by a full stroke or more which is remarkable. And this is because he was far more dominant than any other golfer. Tiger is the only player to have a scoring average below 68 and he has had scoring averages consistently ranging in the 68's.

[larrydonguy]

@Whaleshark1993 There are certainly MORE good players now than in Nicklaus's heyday because, worldwide, the sport is much bigger. I also tend to agree that Tiger, because of his magic game AROUND the greens, might have the edge. However the overall improvement in scoring at the top is mainly a product of the equipment. The senior tour gives this away. 55 year-old players hit the ball farther and SCORE BETTER on courses that are LONGER than the ones they played 30 years ago.

[larrydonguy]

@goldenbear1986 Thanks.Yeah, I remember when I used to follow that stuff someone like Billy Casper winning it a lot and Nicklaus being ineligible because he hadn't played enough rounds in official PGA events.

[goldenbear1986]

@Whaleshark1993 The scoring has come down due to the ball goes much straighter, the courses are in much better condition, the ball goes much farther, so even though courses are longer, they are relatively shorter, and equipment is much better. Trying to compare eras is impossible.

[goldenbear1986]

@larrydonguy Jack lead the PGA Tour is scoring 8 times, but never played enough rounds to qualify for the Vardon Trophy. The number of rounds needed to qualify for the Vardon was higher in Jack's era then it is now.

[Whaleshark1993]

@larrydonguy Maybe but in comparison to Tiger he played just as many tournaments. Tiger generally has skipped all the lower field events since 1997. The greens are smoother but they are also much faster and firmer making it hard to chip and putt.

[larrydonguy]

@Whaleshark1993 Nicklaus probably didn't play in enough tournaments to win the Vardon in some years and he often skipped the "lesser" events that were played on easier courses which would have lowered his scoring average. As for the courses getting tougher, they are certainly getting longer . . and rightly so since modern equipment nets a player about 70 yards on two full shots. However, look at the difference in the quality of the greens since the 1960's.

[westbakke]

@Whaleshark1993 True

[Whaleshark1993]

@westbakke The courses have gotten harder though. Jack Nicklaus never actually won a single vardon trophy. The leading scoring averages have been consistently lower when Tiger wins a vardon trophy for the most part. Even in the past 5 years.....2007 Tiger (67.79), 2008 Sergio (69.12) bc Tiger didn't play enough events to qualify, 2009 Tiger (68.05), 2010 Matt Kuchar (69.61), 2011 Webb Simpson (69.31)

[westbakke]

@Whaleshark1993 Technology has improved though