By PGATOUR.COM Staff
HOUSTON -- World Golf Hall of Famer Jack Burke Jr., winner of 17 professional golf titles and co-founder of the renowned Champions Golf Club in Houston, Wednesday was named the fifth recipient of the PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award.
Created in 1996, the Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the TOUR over an extended period of time through their performances on the golf course as well as through their actions off the course in serving as ambassadors of the game.
Burke joins fellow Hall of Fame members Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead as the only winners. Burke was presented the Award by TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem at the Champions Club, site of this week's TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
"Jack Burke Jr. certainly is deserving of this award, not only because of his outstanding player career, but for the passion he has shared for the game," Finchem said. "It was for these reasons that Jack became the first inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame through the Veterans Category in 2000. The PGA TOUR is pleased to honor him with the Lifetime Achievement Award."
Burke's finest season as a TOUR member came in 1956, when he won The Masters, PGA Championship and was named TOUR Player of the Year. He also won the 1952 Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average, competed on five U.S. Ryder Cup teams and served as Ryder Cup captain twice.
In 1957, Burke teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Jimmy Demaret to build and manage The Champions Golf Club. The Club subsequently hosted the 1967 Ryder Cup, 1969 U.S. Open and five TOUR Championships.
Burke is a noted teacher of the game, having assisted a variety of TOUR players. He also is known as a staunch defender of the game's integrity. This, in part, is why The Champions Golf Club no longer considers anyone for membership who has a handicap higher than 15.