John Winfred "Buster" Cupit (March 22, 1927 – July 17, 2023) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

Early life

Cupit was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

and grew up in

Longview, Texas Longview is a city in, and county seat of, Gregg County, Texas, United States. Longview is located in East Texas, where Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway system, U.S. highways U.S. Route 80, 80 and U.S. Route 259, 259 converge just north of the Sabi ...

. His younger brother, Jacky Cupit, won four

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

events.

Professional career

Cupit worked primarily as a club pro but also played on the PGA Tour. In 1961, he almost won in consecutive tournaments only to finish second in both. At the St. Paul Open, he lost by one stroke to

Don January Donald Ray January (November 20, 1929 – May 7, 2023) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1967 PGA Championship. Early life Born in Plainview, Texas, January graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas. He was a ...

after leading by two strokes after 54 holes. A week later, he trailed his brother Jacky by one stroke entering the final round of the Canadian Open, but shot 75 to finish in a tie for second, five strokes behind his brother. His last full season on the PGA Tour came in 1966 when he started 16 events. His best finish in a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

was a T-8 at the 1958 PGA Championship. Cupit owned and operated the Longview Country Club in Longview, Texas.

Personal life

Cupit died in Longview on July 17, 2023, at the age of 96.

Professional wins (2)

*1958

Oklahoma Open The Oklahoma Open is the Oklahoma state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Oklahoma Golf Association. It has been played every year since 1910 at a variety of courses around the state. It wa ...

*1965 Oklahoma Open

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cupit, Buster American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Golfers from Missouri Golfers from Texas Sportspeople from Longview, Texas 1927 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen