Legendary golfer and educator Jack Burke Jr. passed away at the age of 100. This article will cover the cause of death and the obituary announcement.
Jack Burke Jr. dies at 100: Cause of death and obituary announcement
Mr. Burke, the oldest surviving Masters champion and the winner of two major golf championships, passed away in Houston on January 19. Only ten days separated him from his next birthday at 100. The Houston Golf Association’s president and chief executive, Steve Timms, confirmed his passing but did not explain it.
As much as he enjoyed teaching golf, Jack Burke Jr. loved to play the game. During his slightly over 100-year golf career, he created the legendary Champions Golf Club in Houston, pulled off the greatest Masters comeback ever, and shared his homemade wisdom with everyone he encountered.
The two major championships that Mr. Burke won in 1956 had little bearing on his 2000 induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was also highly recognized for having a keen sense of humor that never faded.
Over dinner at his Houston, Texas, home in 2020, he asked, “Why did golf give us 34 rules when God only gave us 10 commandments?” In 1956, Mr. Burke won both the Masters and the PGA Championship, earning him the title of PGA Player of the Year.
His most well-known achievement was pulling off the greatest comeback in Masters history, defeating eight-shot leader Ken Venturi in the last round.
Mr. Burke’s career was far from over, but 1963 was his last PGA Tour triumph. He was a player as much as a teacher and a true Texan. In collaboration with three-time Masters victor Jimmy Demaret, he founded Champions Golf Club, which is reserved for serious players. At one point, he made it mandatory for potential members to have a handicap of at least 15.
