| Jack Burns | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | John Burns |
| Nickname | Jack |
| Born | 7 January 1859 St Andrews, Scotland |
| Died | 18 December 1927 (aged 68) St Andrews, Scotland |
| Sporting nationality |  Scotland |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | Won: 1888 |
John Burns (7 January 1859[1] – 18 December 1927[2]), a native of St Andrews, was a Scottish professional golfer for part of his life. He was the son of an Irish labourer, and started earning his living as a plasterer. However, there is reference to him being a professional golfer in the minutes of the St Andrews Golf Club in October 1885.[3]
Burns moved to Warwick, England in 1887 to become the golf professional and greenskeeper at the newly formed Warwickshire Golf Club (now known as Warwick Golf Centre), the first golf club in Warwickshire. Burns returned to Scotland in October 1888 to become the winner of the Open Championship, which was held at the Old Course at St Andrews.[4] The £8 prize of his major championship title accomplishment did not make him a fortune. He returned to his job in Warwick and was involved in the creation of the neighbouring golf course in Kenilworth in 1890.[5]
He moved back to St Andrews in 1891 to work on the railways, but he carried on caddying. When he died in 1927, his profession was listed as a plasterer again.[2]
- ^ "Births in the United District of St Andrews and St Leonards in the County of Fife". Statutory Births 453/00 0003. ScotlandsPeople. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Deaths in the Parish of St Andrews and St Leonards in the County of Fife". Statutory Deaths 453/00 0012. ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ^ "The 150 Years – A History of the St. Andrews Golf Club – 1843 to 1993: Chapter 3 - Just a Minute". The St. Andrews Golf Club. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^ "St Andrews – 1888". opengolf.com. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
- ^ "Club History". Kenilworth Golf Club. Retrieved 27 September 2013.