A large and loving family, countless friends and lovers of golf worldwide mourn the passing of John Joseph "Jack" Burke Jr., age 100, who died peacefully at his Houston home of natural causes on Jan. 19, his family close by his side. A remarkable man in many ways, he will be remembered and celebrated as long as golf is played. Funeral Mass will be conducted on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, 7810 Cypresswood Dr. in Houston. All who knew Jack are invited to attend. A Rosary service will precede the funeral on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m., also at St. Ignatius. Jack will be laid to rest at Houston National Cemetery.

He is survived by his wife, Robin (Moran) Burke, son Michael (Carol), and daughters Mary Ielene Price, Lisa M. Burke, Molly (Troy) West and Meghan (Pittman) Harrison. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by wife Ielene (Lang) Burke, his eldest son John, and seven brothers and sisters. He had an abiding love for his family and was quick to express his pride in them all. He was deeply religious and a devout Catholic.

Also commonly referred to as "Jackie," he was born in Fort Worth, Tex. on January 23, 1923, the son of John Joseph (Jack) Burke Sr. and Quo Vadis Quayle Burke. Burke Sr. was an accomplished golfer and one of the first club professionals in Texas and tied for second place in the 1920 U.S. Open, which was won by the legendary Ted Ray. It was after Burke Sr. became the head pro job at River Oaks Country Club in Houston that Jack's life in golf began to flourish. He gave his first golf lesson at age 13 and turned professional at age 17. Legends of the game such as Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret and Babe Didrickson Zaharias were frequent visitors to the Burke household, and young Jack soaked up the dinner conversation and golf talk, instilling in him knowledge and wisdom at a young age. He graduated from St. Thomas High School and attended Rice University before accepting his first club pro job at Galveston Country Club.

In 1942, soon after America's entry into World War II, Jackie joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He served until 1946, teaching self-defense and physical fitness to Marines training for combat in the Pacific. Upon his discharge, he served as club pro at the Hollywood Golf Club in Deal, N.J. and as an assistant pro to Claude Harmon at the famed Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. In 1948 he became head pro at Metropolis Golf Club in White Plains, N.Y. and began working on his game in earnest. Jackie's playing skills, already considerable, improved dramatically. He began entering PGA Tour events regularly in 1949 and in 1950 won four tournaments. His 1952 season was noted for his winning tournaments in four successive weeks, and five overall during the year. He won the coveted Vardon Trophy for low stroke average.

Jackie's most significant season, historically, was 1956. In April he won the Masters, coming from eight strokes behind in the final round to defeat Ken Venturi by one stroke. In July he won the PGA Championship, winning seven matches in five days. He won four more PGA Tour tournaments over the next seven years, bringing his career total to 16. He was known for his exceptional putting ability, superb course management, and performance under pressure.

His outstanding play earned him a position on five consecutive U.S. Ryder Cup teams, from 1951 to 1959. He had a 7-1 playing record and in 1957 was a playing captain. He was deeply committed to the PGA of America and to the Ryder Cup, and in 1967 was instrumental in bringing the event to Champions Golf Club. In 1973, well after his retirement as a player, he captained the U.S. team to a 19-13 victory at Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland. In 2004, he served as an assistant captain to Hal Sutton for the U.S. team.

Of his accomplishments in golf, his proudest was the founding and operation of Champions Golf Club. Jackie and his lifelong friend, Jimmy Demaret, founded Champions in 1957, and its two 18-hole courses soon came to be regarded as among the finest in America. Jackie's reputation and influence within the game led to Champions hosting the 1967 Ryder Cup, 1969 U.S. Open, 1993 U.S. Amateur, 1998 and 2017 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, 2020 U.S. Women's Open and four playings of the PGA Tour's Tour Championship from 1997 to 2003. During the 1960s, Champions also hosted the Houston Champions International five times.

Jackie was a teacher of golf and life. He was sought out for counsel throughout his life and dispensed his wisdom generously. His golf students included Hal Sutton, Steve Elkington, Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw and many other professionals. He also was proud to have helped his wife Robin, better her game to where she became one of the finest players in women's amateur golf, and captain of the U.S. Curtis Cup team in 2016. But perhaps his greatest pleasure was seeing improvement among the thousands of amateur golfers he helped along the way. He viewed golf as analogous to life and insisted that the game be played honestly and with integrity. He believed that golf, through competition, sportsmanship, and the personal relationships it fostered, developed good health and high character, especially among young people.

His contributions to golf led to him receiving the game's most distinguished awards. In 1979 he was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. In 2000 he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 2004 the U.S. Golf Association named him recipient of the game's highest honor, the Bob Jones Award for distinguished sportsmanship. In 2009 he was named a Memorial Tournament honoree. In 2011, the Golf Writers Association of America the William D. Richardson award for outstanding contributions to the game.

He authored two books, The Natural Way to Better Golf (1954) and It's Only a Game (2004). He was a popular speaker and engaging storyteller who was in constant demand.

In Lieu of Flowers, please make a Donation in Jack's name to St. Thomas High School https://www.sths.org/