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Jack Burke Jr.

United States · born , Fort Worth, Texas, USA · died

2major championships

Summary

  • First major 1956 The Masters
  • Last major 1956 PGA Championship
  • Ryder Cup 5 Cups · 7-1-0 · 7 points (87.5%)
  • Ryder Cup captain 1957, 1973
  • Runner-up in majors 1 time

Wins

  1. 1956 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 289 (+1) · by 1 stroke from Ken Venturi
  2. 1956 PGA Championship Blue Hill Country Club · won the final 3 & 2 against Ted Kroll

Near misses

  1. 1952 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Sam Snead · 290

Ryder Cup

5 Cups, 8 matches: 7 won, 1 lost, 0 halved, 7 points. Foursomes 4-0-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 3-1-0.

  1. 1951 Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 USA · USA won 9.5–2.5 · 2-0-0, 2 points
  2. 1953 Wentworth Club (course not named in sources found) USA · USA won 6.5–5.5 · 2-0-0, 2 points · automatic
  3. 1955 Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club USA · USA won 8–4 · 2-0-0, 2 points
  4. 1957 Lindrick Golf Club USA · GB won 7.5–4.5 · 1-1-0, 1 point · automatic
  5. 1959 Eldorado Country Club USA · USA won 8.5–3.5 · did not play
  6. 1957 Captain USA · lost 4.5–7.5
  7. 1973 Captain USA · won 19–13

Rivals

Beat him

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Sam Snead's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1956 Masters Burke came from eight strokes behind entering the final round, the largest final-round comeback in Masters history, shooting 71 in the wind.
  2. 1956 Masters Amateur Ken Venturi led after each of the first three rounds but closed with an 80, including 42 on the back nine, and finished one stroke back.
  3. 1956 PGA Championship In the second round Mike Dietz asked spectators near the 15th green how close Doug Ford's ball was before playing, and the hole was awarded to Ford.
  4. 1956 PGA Championship In the final Kroll led 1 up after 19 holes, then Burke won five of the next seven holes; Burke played 173 holes over seven matches.

Records and firsts

  1. 1956 Masters Biggest final-round comeback · 8 strokes behind after 54 holes
  2. 1954 Masters Highest winning score · 289 (+1) (1954; 1956; 2007) (Sam Snead; Jack Burke Jr.; Zach Johnson)
  3. — PGA Championship holes played by the 1956 champion · 173 (Jack Burke Jr., seven matches in the first 128-man draw)

Results by championship

    Best day

    1956 Masters

    Augusta National Golf Club · 289 (+1) · by 1 stroke from Ken Venturi

    Burke came from eight strokes behind entering the final round, the largest final-round comeback in Masters history, shooting 71 in the wind.

    Amateur Ken Venturi led after each of the first three rounds but closed with an 80, including 42 on the back nine, and finished one stroke back.

    Record: Biggest final-round comeback · 8 strokes behind after 54 holes

    Chosen by rule: the major win our record tables single out. Year page: 1956.

    Career line, 1951–1959

    Masters
    1952 Masters: runner-up to Sam Snead1956 Masters: won
    PGA Championship
    1956 PGA Championship: won
    Ryder Cup
    1951 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-0-01953 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-0-01955 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-0-01957 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-1-01959 Ryder Cup (USA): did not play
    19521954195619581960

    8 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Jack Burke Jr. was born on January 29, 1923, in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Burke won 2 major championships: 1 Masters (1956) and 1 PGA Championship (1956). Burke played in 5 Ryder Cups for USA (1951, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959 (did not play)), winning 7, losing 1 and halving 0 of 8 matches for 7 points, and captained the side in 1957 and 1973.

    See Jack Burke Jr. in our rooms: The Masters, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (2)

    1. 1956 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 289 (+1) · by 1 stroke from Ken Venturi
    2. 1956 PGA Championship Blue Hill Country Club, Canton, Massachusetts · won the final 3 & 2 against Ted Kroll

    Near misses

    1. 1952 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Sam Snead · 290

    Ryder Cup

    Burke played 5 Ryder Cups for USA: 8 matches, 7 won, 1 lost, 0 halved, 7 points (87.5% of those available). By format: foursomes 4-0-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 3-1-0 (won-lost-halved). Vice-captain: 2004.

    1. 1951 Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 USA · USA won 9.5–2.5 · 2-0-0, 2 points
    2. 1953 Wentworth Club (course not named in sources found) USA · USA won 6.5–5.5 · 2-0-0, 2 points · automatic
    3. 1955 Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club USA · USA won 8–4 · 2-0-0, 2 points
    4. 1957 Lindrick Golf Club USA · GB won 7.5–4.5 · 1-1-0, 1 point · automatic
    5. 1959 Eldorado Country Club USA · USA won 8.5–3.5 · did not play
    6. 1957 Captain USA · lost 4.5–7.5
    7. 1973 Captain USA · won 19–13

    Partners, with matches played together: Ted Kroll (2), Clayton Heafner (1), Tommy Bolt (1).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 6 won, 2 lost, including 1 of 1 finals.

    1. 1951 Round of 16 beat Gene Kunes 4 & 3
    2. 1951 Quarterfinal lost to Sam Snead 2 & 1
    3. 1955 Round of 16 beat Marty Furgol 2 & 1
    4. 1955 Quarterfinal lost to Cary Middlecoff won on 40th hole
    5. 1956 Round of 16 beat Chandler Harper 3 & 2
    6. 1956 Quarterfinal beat Fred Hawkins 4 & 2
    7. 1956 Semifinal beat Ed Furgol won on 37th hole
    8. 1956 Final beat Ted Kroll 3 & 2

    Masters Champions Dinner

    No menu has been recorded for the 1957 (as the 1956 champion) dinner. Until about 1986 champions did not design the meal: the club served its standard menu.

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. 1956 Masters Biggest final-round comeback · 8 strokes behind after 54 holes
    2. 1954 Masters Highest winning score · 289 (+1) (1954; 1956; 2007) (Sam Snead; Jack Burke Jr.; Zach Johnson)
    3. — PGA Championship holes played by the 1956 champion · 173 (Jack Burke Jr., seven matches in the first 128-man draw)

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia.

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. where2golf.com: jack burke jr
    2. Wikipedia: Jack Burke Jr
    3. npr.org: 19 1225680719
    4. golfcompendium.com: masters winners
    5. golfcompendium.com: us open winners
    6. golfcompendium.com: british open winners
    7. golfcompendium.com: pga championship winners
    8. golfcompendium.com: pga tour career wins
    9. golfcompendium.com: 1952 masters tournament
    10. Wikipedia: Masters Tournament
    11. pga.com: list masters champions
    12. PGA Tour
    13. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    14. WP: Jack Burke Jr.
    15. rydercup.com — link no longer works (checked October 17, 2026): https://rydercup.com/news-media/usa/ryder-cup-team-usa-past-captains
    16. Golf Compendium
    17. Golf Compendium
    18. Wikipedia: 1956 Masters Tournament
    19. golfcompendium.com: 1956 masters tournament
    20. topendsports.com: winners
    21. nbcsports.com: by the numbers jumpsuit numbers for every masters champions caddie
    22. todays-golfer.com: the history of augusta caddies
    23. golfmonthly.com: which caddies have won the most masters
    24. todays-golfer.com: how the masters prize money has changed over the years
    25. golf.com: masters purse masters winners payouts alltime
    26. pgatour.com: what is the cut at the masters tournament augusta national (archived copy; the original link no longer works)
    27. todays-golfer.com: cut rules
    28. golfcompendium.com: 1957 masters
    29. liveabout.com: what are the yardages at augusta national during the masters 1564592
    30. PGA of America winners & venues
    31. Golf Compendium 1956
    32. The Golf News Net history table (2026)
    33. Today's Golfer purse history
    34. Michigan Daily, 25 July 1956 (AP)
    35. New England Golf, match-play history
    36. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 75
    37. Golf Compendium 1951
    38. Golf Compendium 1955
    39. GC: 1951 ryder cup
    40. Wikipedia: 1951 Ryder Cup
    41. GC: 1953 ryder cup
    42. Wikipedia: 1953 Ryder Cup
    43. GC: 1955 ryder cup
    44. Wikipedia: 1955 Ryder Cup
    45. GC: 1957 ryder cup
    46. Wikipedia: 1957 Ryder Cup
    47. GC: 1959 ryder cup
    48. Wikipedia: 1959 Ryder Cup