Jacky Cupit, a four-time PGA Tour winner, 1961 Rookie of the Year, and two-time All-American at the University of Houston, died Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Carrollton, Texas, at age 88. The Longview native overcame early hardships to achieve notable success in professional golf, including a historic sibling finish at the 1961 Canadian Open and a runner-up at the 1963 U.S. Open.
Born and raised in Longview, Texas, Cupit faced early challenges, losing his father at age seven. His mother raised six children, with the family relying on caddying—Cupit earning 90 cents for 18 holes, plus occasional tips. These experiences forged his grit.
As an amateur, he won 39 tournaments, including the Alvin Dark Open and Twin Cities Open. At the University of Houston, he earned first-team All-American honors in 1959 and 1960, helping secure three straight NCAA championships from 1958-1960.
Turning pro in 1961, Cupit was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year after winning the Canadian Open, where he and brother Buster became the first siblings to finish 1-2 in a PGA Tour event—a record still standing. His four PGA Tour victories included the 1961 Canadian Open, 1962 Western Open, 1964 Tucson Open Invitational, and 1966 Cajun Classic Open Invitational.
At the 1963 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, Cupit held a two-shot lead entering the final holes but faltered with a double bogey on 17 and a missed birdie on 18, tying Julius Boros and Arnold Palmer for an 18-hole playoff that Boros won by three strokes. With Buster, they finished second to Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer in the 1966 PGA National Two-Ball Tournament.
Cupit competed in 272 PGA Tour events before retiring in 1974 due to back issues. He later made 26 starts on the PGA Tour Champions after turning 50 in 1988. A Texas Golf Hall of Fame member and PGA life member emeritus at the Links at Lands End in Yantis, Texas, he was known for consistency tee-to-green. Longtime friend Roy Pace noted Cupit rarely beat himself. Cupit credited Byron Nelson for wedge tips: 'Always keep your arms close to your body.' He once said, 'I took easy out of my vocabulary a long time ago because golf’s not easy.'
Nicknamed the 'King of the BBQ Circuit,' Cupit won nearly 40 high-stakes Calcuttas in east and west Texas during the 1950s and 1960s.
