AUGUSTA, Ga. -- You might never hear his name mentioned in the same breath as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer or Gary Player -- even though you probably should. But, that's just fine with him. He doesn't need the fame, or the notoriety. He is a rich man without them.
His satisfaction comes from those who benefit from the knowledge of life and golf he has to offer.
People the world over talk about what great ambassadors Nicklaus, Palmer and Player are to the game of golf -- and without question, they are. More than anything, however, they are the most well-known ambassadors of the game they love.
So no, he's not Nicklaus, Palmer or Player.
He's Jackie Burke, Jr., and he has an impressive resume of his own. This vintage ambassador's career in professional golf consists of 17 PGA Tour wins, including the Masters and PGA Championship in the same year (1956). He is a Vardon Trophy winner, a PGA Player of the Year, winner of four consecutive tournaments in 1952, a five-time Ryder Cup member (twice as captain) and a member of the PGA, Texas Golf, and World Golf Halls of Fame.
This week marks the 50th anniversary of Burke's Masters victory. You think Tiger Woods has a knack for the dramatics? How about Burke? In his Masters win, he rallied from eight shots behind a young Ken Venturi. Many say the 1956 Masters was played under the most horrific conditions ever.
You'd think taking a look back 50 years after his triumph that perhaps the 83-year-old Burke might relish the memory. When he is asked about it beside the Augusta National clubhouse the day before the 70th Masters tees off, the old Texan takes a sip of his water, slowly shakes his head and responds, "It's not any more special to come here after winning. You put that behind you. I put that behind me a long time ago. You can't dwell on what you did yesterday -- that's in the ashes."
Listening to Burke speak, you quickly realize it isn't lip service. It's not simply the wisdom beheld by an elderly man. He says it with conviction. He's proof of his words.
In fact, Burke did what few athletes can -- he left the professional touring ranks when he was at the top of his game.
"I quit pro golf when I was about 35-36 years old," he said. "That's unheard of today. A lot of guys are just starting at that age. We weren't making a lot of money back then and I'm basically a teacher, so I was going to have to go back to New York and teach. There weren't many courses in Texas, so to find a job we had to build our own course."
And that's exactly what he did. Burke and his good friend Jimmy Demaret, a three-time Masters winner in his own right, opened the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, in 1957.
It's funny how things work out. Burke left the game as a touring professional in 1962 to dedicate his life to the game as a teaching professional to help others.
Why?
"I was raised pretty much by the amateur game," he said. "I played with amateurs all my life and I can see how the amateur has been mistreated terribly right now. These guys are all behind the ropes and they paid their way. They don't get to play competitively and there's no organization that's encouraging them. I do. … I'm looking forward to seeing the amateur game come back the way the pro game did."
Whether that happens remains to be seen. However, Burke is optimistic.
"I will see it happen. It's going to happen," he said. "I'm going to try to bring it back with 36 corporations. I want to move an event around the country for amateurs so that people can see how well they can play.
"The amateurs have no place to go. Once they get out of college, there's either the Tour, or some itty-bitty small Hooters Tour things that don't amount to anything," he added. "The amateur game has got to come back for the good of this game. The game is a competitive one. It's not a game to watch. It's a game to participate in."
One could argue that golf is the most selfish game in the world. It is, after all, an individual sport. That's what makes Burke most remarkable. He walked away from a successful career winning tournaments to lend a hand to others.
"I feel better about my contributions to the game after my touring days," he said. "I think I can do more with what I'm doing now than what I had been doing. Before, all I was interested in was putting a number up on the board. Your attitude is pretty self-contained [as a touring pro]. You're self-centered and you don't see many people."
Burke's new book, "It's Only a Game: Words of Wisdom from a Lifetime in Golf," with Guy Yocom of Golf Digest was recently released. The book takes a look at golf, life and Burke's call for a return to the game's core values.
"I enjoyed doing the book, really," he said. "We used to have to give a lot of speeches and clinics around the country and I kept all my notes. If I had to talk in Greensboro, I'd say the same thing in Charlotte. I just kept my notes together over the years and my book is about a lot of that. I wrote it on the basis of, 'I didn't know that. I didn't know that, either.' I also say some things that I know the amateur would like to know about."
What people might also like to know about is Burke's experience as the assistant captain of the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team. Burke was asked by close friend, Captain Hal Sutton, to come along and offer a helping hand. What ensued was a convincing one-sided loss by the Americans, who never gelled.
"When you get right down to it, it's the players," said Burke, honest as can be. "Our players are pretty solo players. They fly in here and play and go away. To all of a sudden come around and have this great spirit as a team, it's pretty hard for them to do that. They're just not used to it. I don't think Hal Sutton, or anyone in charge, can change that and bring guys together. They don't play much team stuff here.
"The Europeans play team stuff all the time. High school and everything, all of it is team deals. I was just going to help Hal. I knew it was a tough job," he added. "He had never done it. I had been on five teams and I thought I'd be able to help him somewhat. But they didn't play well and the Europeans played tremendously. There wasn't much Hal could do about that."
With Burke, there may not be a man in the history of sports who was happier to leave behind the limelight of a successful playing career for a humbling, but more rewarding life as a teaching professional.
"If you know algebra, you can teach algebra," Burke said. "So, the first thing you need to do is learn about the game before you can teach it. The learning of the game and learning how to play it is great.
"I tried to learn how to play it the way I could play it, not the way Hogan could play it, or Jimmy Demaret could play it," he added. "I think learning about yourself, as to what you can offer somebody is about as much a reward as you can get."
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