Jacky Cupit once said that he “took easy out of his vocabulary a long time ago because golf’s not easy.”

In his early years, life was even tougher. Cupit was only seven when he lost his father. His mother raised six children, all of whom worked to support the family by serving as caddies in Texas. Cupit recalls earning 90 cents for carrying a golf bag for 18 holes and maybe a 10-cent tip if the player he was paired with made it through the round without losing a ball. Those early years laid the groundwork for someone determined not to make a bogey.

Cupit and four of his brothers turned professional during an era that also featured Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Billy Casper. He and his brother Buster teamed up to finish as runners-up to Nicklaus and Palmer in the 1966 PGA National Two Ball Tournament.

Cupit earned PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors in 1961 after winning the Canadian Open. He also recorded several top ten finishes, including at the 1963 U.S. Open. On a beautiful day at The Country Club in Brookline, Cupit tied Julius Boros and Arnold Palmer at the end of regulation and then finished second to Boros in the playoff. Spectators left saying Cupit lost that major by just inches.

Cupit was a four-time PGA TOUR winner after a remarkable amateur career, during which he won 39 tournaments. At the University of Houston, he was twice an All-American and participated in three NCAA Championship teams.

Longtime friend Roy Pace said he was so consistent tee to green that you had to beat him; he rarely beat himself.

“Byron Nelson taught me that shot,” Cupit once said of his dialed-in wedge shot. “He said to always keep your arms close to your body on those shots.”

Cupit, a Texas Golf Hall of Fame member, retired from competition in 1974 due to back problems but came back and played on PGA TOUR Champions when he reached age 50 in 1988. All told, Cupit played in 272 events on the PGA TOUR and 26 on PGA TOUR Champions.

He passed away on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Plano, Texas.