Jacky Cupit enjoyed an extraordinary amateur golf career and won four times on the PGA Tour. But he was probably best known for dueling Arnold Palmer down the stretch in the 1963 U.S Open at The Country Club, only for he and Palmer to lose in an 18-hole playoff to Julius Boros.
Cupit, then just 25 years old, came achingly close to being a major champion in the fourth round in Brookline, Mass., when he held a two-shot lead before he double bogeyed the 17th hole and missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 18. Boros, who was 43, prevailed in the playoff by shooting 70, and it was Culpit who most closely trailed him by scoring 73, while Palmer shot 76.
Cupit was the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 1961 after he won the Canadian Open in his first season, and he would go on to capture the 1962 Western Open, 1964 Tucson Open Invitational and 1966 Cajun Classic Open Invitational.
A lifelong Texan, Cupit died on Wednesday in Carrollton. He was 88.
Jacky Cupit (right) poses with Arnold Palmer and Julius Boros after they finished in a three-way tie in the 1963 U.S. Open and would play the next day in an 18-hole playoff that was won by Boros.
Bettmann
Born in Longview, Cupit was one of 10 children—eight of whom were boys—and according to an obituary by the PGA Tour, he and some of his siblings all worked as caddies to support the family after their father passed away. Five of the Cupit boys would go on to play professional golf, but it was Jacky who stood out by winning 39 amateur tournaments and becoming a two-time All-American at the University of Houston. It was a Cougars team that included another future tour standout in Phil Rodgers.
In the pros, there was one particularly memorable tournament for the Cupits, as Jacky and brother Buster finished runners-up to Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in the 1966 PGA National Two Ball Tournament.
Jacky Cupit played a total of 272 events on the PGA Tour and posted four top-10s in majors. He left the tour in 1974 due to back problems, but after turning 50 he joined the PGA Tour Champions, on which he made 26 starts.
Cupit’s obituary that was posted by a Texas funeral home described him as a “serious man with an adventurous spirit. … He found joy in yard work and hunting, which reflected his deep appreciation for nature.” The obituary said Cupit was preceded in death by his wife, a daughter, seven of his brothers, and one sister.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
