Charleston, S.C. (January 3, 2024) - The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) is pleased to announce six-time Major Champion and World Golf Hall of Fame Inductee Lee Trevino as the recipient of its 2024 Award of Merit, the organization’s most prestigious award, which recognizes long-term and significant contributions to the game of golf. Lee will accept the award and then sit down with NGCOA CEO Jay Karen for a conversation and audience Q&A during NGCOA’s Golf Business Conference 2024 Closing Luncheon.*
Trevino became a golf professional in 1960, and took his first job working as an assistant in El Paso, TX, before joining the professional golf circuit in 1966. Outlasting Jack Nicklaus, Trevino’s first major victory came at the 1968 U.S. Open at Oak Hill, where he burst onto golf’s global stage. Over the course of his career, Trevino won 75 professional tournaments and 6 major championships, including two U.S. Opens (1968, 1971), back-to-back British Opens (1971, 1972), and two PGA Championships (1974, 1984). As the U.S. Ryder Cup Captain in 1985, Trevino played on six American teams. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Read his full biography here.
“We are thrilled to honor one of the brightest stars in the golf constellation,” said Jay Karen, NGCOA’s chief executive officer. “Not only has Lee Trevino been an advocate and example of the special power golf holds for so many people, but has anyone ever surpassed his infectious joy for the game? It has been a reliable source of energy for decades.”
*The Closing Luncheon and Q&A on Wednesday, January 24 is included in a Golf Business Conference 2024 full conference pass; learn more and register for GBC24 at golfbusinessconference.com.
About the Golf Business Conference
The Golf Business Conference is the industry’s largest annual gathering of golf course owners and operators, and is hosted by the NGCOA. Through NGCOA’s continuing strategic alliance with the PGA of America and PGA Golf Exhibitions, GBC24 attendees can also participate in a wide range of activities at the 2024 PGA Show. GBC24 sponsorships are also available; industry suppliers may contact partnerships@ngcoa.org with interest. Learn more at golfbusinessconference.com.
About the National Golf Course Owners Association
The NGCOA is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. The association represents and promotes the interests of golf courses as the principal businesses and economic assets of the game of golf. The not-for-profit organization is the only trade association dedicated exclusively to golf course owners and operators. Through advocacy, education and information resources, purchasing programs and networking opportunities, the NGCOA helps golf course owners and operators run more successful businesses. For more information or to join, visit ngcoa.org or call 800-933-4262.
Media Contact: Renée Flowers, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, NGCOA, rflowers@ngcoa.org.