Billy Burke (golfer)
William John Burke, Burkauskas (polonized Burkowski) (December 14, 1902 – April 19, 1972) was an American professional golfer during the early 20th century.
| Billy Burke | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | William John Burke |
| Born | December 14, 1902 Naugatuck, Connecticut, United States |
| Died | April 19, 1972 (aged 69) Clearwater, Florida, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m) |
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12.3 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 17 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 13 |
| Other | 4 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | T3: 1934, 1939 |
| PGA Championship | T3: 1931 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1931 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
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.[1] 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.[2]
Personal life
In 1972, Burke died in Clearwater, Florida.
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.[3]
Professional wins (17)
PGA Tour wins (13)
- 1927 (2) Florida Open, Central Florida Open
- 1928 (1) North and South Open
- 1929 (2) New York State Open,[4] Glens Falls Open
- 1930 (1) Mid South Open
- 1931 (2) U.S. Open, Glens Falls Open
- 1932 (1) Florida West Coast Open
- 1935 (1) The Cascades Open
- 1936 (1) Centennial Open
- 1939 (1) Walter Hagen 25th Anniversary (with Ed Dudley)
- 1940 (1) Miami Biltmore International Four-Ball (with Craig Wood)
Major championship is shown in bold.
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-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
| Tournament | 1928 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | T18 | 15 |
| PGA Championship | R32 |
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | T3 | T37 | 28 | T29 | T13 | T3 |
| U.S. Open | T28 | 1 | T7 | T33 | T6 | T32 | T18 | T16 | WD | T42 |
| PGA Championship | R32 | SF | R64 | R16 | R32 | R16 | R16 |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | WD | T23 | NT | NT | NT | 46 | 57 | T43 | T35 | |
| U.S. Open | WD | NT | NT | NT | NT | T45 | T27 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | R32 | NT |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T29 | WD | WD | T36 | WD | WD | CUT | CUT | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | CUT | |||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | WD |
| U.S. Open | |||
| PGA 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 made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 23 | 13 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 13 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Totals | 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)
References
- "Ryder Cup Team Sails Thursday for England". The Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AP. June 13, 1933. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- "Billy Burke, Open Champ, Dark Harbor Pro, Is Dead". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. UPI. April 21, 1972. p. 15.
- "Billy (Burkowski) Burke". National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- "Burke spread eagles state open golf field". Daily News. June 23, 1929. p. 51 – via Newspapers.com.
Billy Burke in the Ryder Cup | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}