Gary Durbin and his wife Jessica, along with their son Eric, are well known in Houston amateur golf circles, as well as those far beyond the city limits. Gary, who starred for the Penn State golf team in the early 1970s, is a three-time Texas Senior Amateur champion and the 2023 Texas Senior Player of the Year. Jessica played for Houston Baptist University prior to embarking on a 33-year career with the Houston Golf Association, and Eric won the prestigious LJT Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior in 2005 before taking on a central role on the University of Oklahoma golf team. And that’s just the opening salvo of their list of achievements.

So, it isn’t exactly unexpected to see a Durbin name atop a tournament leaderboard after the final putt is holed. But to see a “1st Place” callout on the score sheet by all three names, on the same day, in the same multi-division event, and on the same course? Well, that is a bit extraordinary, even by their lofty standards.

The talented trio pulled off the remarkable hat trick recently during the 2024 Club Championships at Champions Golf Club, where the Durbins are longtime members, with Eric, Jessica, and Gary all taking top honors in their respective divisions. The club championship divisions were played over the same weekend on September 21-22, with all contested on the venerable Cypress Creek Course.

Jessica was off first on Sunday morning and got the Durbin party started by finishing with rounds of 75-82 to win the Women’s Club Championship. It was her third title overall, having previously won in 2020 and 2022.

“I guess I just have a thing for even-numbered years,” she said.

Next, Gary followed up his 69 in the first round with a closing 74 to win the Men’s Senior Club Championship. His 143 total was good for a one-shot victory over 2022 Texas Senior Amateur champion and close neighbor Sandy Pierce. The victory pushed Gary’s club championship win total at Champions to seven, with four coming in the men’s senior division to go along with three in the men’s division.

“Sandy’s a very tough competitor, so I always feel fortunate to come out on top whenever we play,” Gary said. “We live about a 600-yard, par-5 away from each other and we like to joke about how we managed to keep the Texas Senior Amateur trophy in the same neighborhood for four out of five years running.”

It was now up to Eric, who was playing in the final group of the day, to complete the Durbin trifecta.

“The format for the men’s division is match play, so we texted Eric’s caddy to see how he was doing,” Jessica said. “He replied that Eric was 5-up with five holes to play, so we felt pretty good about his chances to win.”

“So, we went back out on the course to watch him finish,” Gary said. “That didn’t go so well. He lost the next two holes as soon as we got there.”

But it proved to be only a minor setback. After Eric’s approach shot to the 16th green trickled off the back edge, he proceeded to chip in for birdie to close out the match and win the Men’s Club Championship.

Three for three, and a shared treasured moment to long remember.

“It was a cool thing for all of us,” Jessica said. “We had thought about it the day before, but we didn’t dare say anything aloud because we didn’t want to put it out there in the universe.”

And after having a featured role in the awards ceremony presentation, it was off to nearby Soto’s Cantina, the Durbin’s favorite Mexican restaurant, for a well-earned family celebration.

“If Mr. Burke were alive, I think he would have thought it was so cool that we all won our club championship divisions,” Gary said. “He always talked about how important it was for the members to get their kids interested in golf and for them to join the club when they got older. He really wanted Champions to be a family legacy.”