Golf Majors Lookup

Complete Major Championship History

Jack Burns headshot

Jack Burns

1 Major Championship • 90th All-Time

1 Wins
0 2nd Place
First Win Age
Last Win Age

Major Championship Wins

About Jack Burns

Jack Burns won 1 major championship during their career.

Career Highlights

  • 1887 — Moved to Warwick, England to become professional and greenskeeper at newly formed Warwickshire Golf Club
  • 1888 — Won The Open Championship at Old Course St Andrews (171 over 36 holes) by 1 stroke
  • 1888 — Defeated David Anderson Jr. and Ben Sayers for the Open title
  • 1890 — Helped create neighboring golf course in Kenilworth
  • 1891 — Returned to St Andrews and worked on the railways while continuing to caddie

Did You Know?

  • Modest Champion: The £8 prize money from his Open Championship victory didn't make him a fortune — he returned to his job in Warwick shortly after winning
  • Working Man's Game: Born the son of an Irish laborer, Burns started as a plasterer and returned to that profession later in life, showing golf was still finding its way as a career in the 1880s
  • Pioneer Professional: Burns was among the first wave of club professionals in England, helping establish the role at Warwickshire Golf Club when it opened in 1893