William John Burke, Burkauskas (polonized Burkowski) (December 14, 1902 – April 19, 1972) was an American professional golfer during the early 20th century.
Early life Burke was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut. He was of Lithuanian descent.
Professional career His greatest season was 1931, when he won the U.S. Open, reached the semi-finals of the PGA Championship, and won four events on the professional circuit, plus appeared on the Ryder Cup team where he was undefeated in two matches. He was also selected for the 1933 Ryder Cup team but not before some agitation by Gene Sarazen was done on his behalf. Burke won his only match in the 1933 competition.
Burke's 1931 U.S. Open win came in a marathon playoff. He and George Von Elm were tied at 292 (8-over-par) after regulation play. They played a 36-hole playoff the next day and tied again at 149 (7-over-par). The following day they played 36 more holes and Burke emerged victorious 148 to 149.
Throughout Burke's golf career he used an unorthodox grip due to the loss of two fingers on his left hand.
Personal life Burke served as head golf professional at The Country Club in Pepper Pike, Ohio, for 29 years, beginning in 1934. He also holds the club's course record: a 63.
Burke died in Clearwater, Florida in 1972.
Honors and awards In 1963, Burke was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame. In 2005, Burke was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional wins (17) PGA Tour wins (11) 1927 (2) Florida Open, Central Florida Open 1928 (1) North and South Open 1929 (2) New York State Open, Glens Falls Open 1931 (2) U.S. Open, Glens Falls Open 1932 (1) Florida West Coast Open 1935 (1) The Cascades Open 1936 (1) Centennial Open 1940 (1) Miami Biltmore International Four-Ball (with Craig Wood)
Major championship is shown in bold.
Source:
Other wins (6) this list may be incomplete 1930 Mid South Open 1938 Ohio Open 1939 Ohio Open, Walter Hagen 25th Anniversary (with Ed Dudley) 1945 Ohio Open 1955 Ohio Open
Major championships Wins (1) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up 1931 U.S. Open 2 shot deficit +8 (73-72-74-73=292) Playoff 1 George Von Elm 1 Defeated George Von Elm in a playoff. First 36-hole playoff - Burke 73-76=149 (+7), Von Elm 75-74=149 (+7). Second 36-hole playoff - Burke 71-77=148 (+6), Von Elm 76-73=149 (+7).
Results timeline Tournament19281929U.S. OpenT1815PGA ChampionshipR32 Tournament1930193119321933193419351936193719381939Masters TournamentNYFNYFNYFNYFT3T3728T29T13T3U.S. OpenT281T7T33T6T32T18T16WDT42PGA ChampionshipR32SFR64R16R32R16R16
Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949Masters TournamentWDT23NTNTNT4657T43T35U.S. OpenWDNTNTNTNTT45T27CUTPGA ChampionshipR32NT Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959Masters TournamentT29WDWDT36WDWDCUTCUTU.S. OpenCUTCUTCUTPGA Championship Tournament196019611962Masters TournamentCUTCUTWDU.S. OpenPGA Championship Note: Burke never played in The Open Championship.
NYF = tournament not yet founded NT = no tournament WD = withdrew CUT = missed the half-way cut R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play "T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 0 0 2 2 2 4 23 13U.S. Open 1 0 0 1 3 7 19 13The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PGA Championship 0 0 1 1 4 8 9 9Totals 1 0 3 4 9 19 51 35 Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1934 Masters – 1938 Masters) Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1931 U.S. Open – 1932 U.S. Open)
See also List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
References