Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

. He was a member of the

Great Triumvirate In U.S. politics, the Great Triumvirate (known also as the Immortal Trio) was a triumvirate of three statesmen who dominated American politics for much of the first half of the 19th century, namely Henry Clay of Kentucky, Daniel Webster of M ...

with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

a record six times, and also won the 1900 U.S. Open. Known as "the Stylist," Vardon's success, as well as his contributions to technique and the sport's fashion, made him golf's first international star and significantly elevated the prestige of the professional golfer. With his total of seven, Vardon holds the most major championships of any golfer from the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

Early life

Born in Grouville,

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

, Vardon, whose mother was French and father English, did not play much golf as a youngster, but showed natural talent for the sport as a young

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...

in his teens. Harry and his brother Tom Vardon, younger by two years and also interested in golf, were very close. Their golf development was held back by poor family circumstances and their father was not supportive of his sons' golf interest.

Professional career

Tom moved from Jersey to England first, to pursue a golf career. Harry went to England in the spring of 1890, taking a job as greenkeeper at age 20, at Studley Royal Golf Club,

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

, Yorks. A year later he became club professional at Bury Golf Club, and in 1896 the club professional at Ganton Golf Club, in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. By his early 20s, Harry developed a demanding practice program, the most ambitious seen to that time. He was the first professional golfer to play in knickerbockers – discarding the "proper" dress of an Englishman in an uncomfortable shirt and tie with a buttoned jacket. In 1896, Vardon won the first of his six Open Championships (a record that still stands today). Vardon had rivalries with James Braid and J.H. Taylor, who each won five Open Championships; together the three formed the 'Great Triumvirate', and dominated worldwide golf from the mid-1890s to the mid-1910s. These rivalries increased the public's interest in golf.

Scottish challenge

In 1898, Vardon won his second Open Championship at

Prestwick Golf Club Prestwick Golf Club is a golf course in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is approximately southwest of Scotland's largest city, Glasgow. Prestwick is a classic links course, built on the rolling sandy land between the beach and the hi ...

, beating Willie Park, Jnr by a single stroke. Park missed a makeable putt on the 18th green to take the match to a play off. So aggrieved was Park that he immediately offered a challenge to Vardon to play him over 72 holes, 36 holes at his home course of Musselburgh and 36 holes at a golf course of Vardon's choosing, for a wager of £100 per side. Park had offered similar challenges before; some years earlier he had met and defeated Ben Sayers at Musselburgh and North Berwick, and in 1897 Park defeated J.H. Taylor over two venues, also for £100 per side. Vardon refused Park's challenge; besides the £100 per side, Vardon had nothing to gain from such a match, and he most certainly was not going to play Park at Musselburgh, where fan partisanship was less than courteous to rival players. Eventually Park conceded to play his home leg at North Berwick Golf Club instead of Musselburgh, and Vardon chose his home course of Ganton, Yorkshire. ''Golf Week'' magazine acted as both promoter and stakeholder, and the match took place in July 1899, by which time Vardon had won his third Open Championship. The British press billed the encounter as the greatest golf competition of all time. Such was the interest that 10,000 Scottish fans attended the match at North Berwick, and that on a day when the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) was making a State visit to nearby

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. Special trains were laid on to ferry fans from Edinburgh and other nearby towns. The format of the competition was

match play Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 h ...

. The first 36 holes at North Berwick ended with Vardon holding a two-hole lead. The second leg took place two weeks later at Ganton, and Vardon completed the rout, winning 11 up with ten holes to play, collecting the £200 prize and the glory.

Tours United States and Canada

During his career, Harry Vardon made three visits to North America, in 1900, 1913 and 1920. During all three trips he competed in the U.S. Open finishing 1st, 2nd and tied 2nd. He became golf's first international celebrity in 1900 when he toured the United States and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. John Henry Taylor, the 1900 Open Champion and member of the Great Triumvirate, also traveled to the USA on a mini tour in 1900. Vardon played in more than 90 matches and capped it off with a victory in the U.S. Open, where Taylor was second. Vardon wrote that while on this tour, he lost only two matches while playing head-to-head against a single opponent, and both were against the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

professional Bernard (Ben) Nicholls, older brother of

Gilbert Nicholls Gilbert Ernest Nicholls (July 23, 1878 – January 17, 1950) was an English-American professional golfer, prominent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He had eight top-10 finishes in the U.S. Open (golf), U.S. Open. Early life Nicholls w ...

; the Nicholls brothers had recently emigrated from the British Isles. In 1913, accompanied by Ted Ray, Vardon played in 45 exhibition matches winning 36 of them, and in 1920 at age 50, again accompanied by Ray, he played from July to the beginning of November in nearly 100 exhibition/challenge matches against the likes of

Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional Men's major golf championships, majors is third behin ...

, Jim Barnes,

Francis Ouimet Francis DeSales Ouimet () (May 8, 1893 – September 2, 1967) was an American amateur golfer who is frequently referred to as the "father of amateur golf" in the United States. He won the U.S. Open (golf), U.S. Open in 1913 U.S. Open (golf), 1 ...

and Bobby Jones.

Twice runner-up in U.S. Opens

Vardon was the runner-up, after a playoff loss to the 20-year-old Ouimet, at his next U.S. Open in

1913 Events January * January – Joseph Stalin travels to Vienna to research his ''Marxism and the National Question''. This means that, during this month, Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky and Tito are all living in the city. * January 3 &ndash ...

, an event portrayed in the film '' The Greatest Game Ever Played''. He toured North America with Ted Ray that year, as he did once more in 1920. At the age of 50, Vardon was again tied runner-up in his third and final U.S. Open appearance, in

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

; he was leading with a few holes to play.

Career accomplishments

During his career, Vardon won 48 tournaments and 21 team events; that was the most titles won by a single player to that juncture in golf history. He won the German Open in 1911 and the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1912. Between 1898 and 1899 Vardon played in 17 tournaments, winning 14 and coming 2nd in the other three. Vardon popularised the overlapping grip that bears his name, one still used by over 90 percent of golfers; this grip had been originated by Johnny Laidlay a few years before Vardon adopted it. In his later years, he became a golf course architect, designing several courses in Britain, Llandrindod Wells Golf Club,

Woodhall Spa Woodhall Spa is a former spa town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, south-west of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, Horncastle, west of Skegness, east-south-east o ...

and Radcliffe-on-Trent being notable examples.

Death and legacy

Following a bout with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in 1903, Vardon struggled with health problems for years, but turned to coaching and writing golf instruction and inspirational books. After his comeback to the game following a prolonged absence while recovering from tuberculosis, he experienced serious problems with his short-range putting as a result of nerve damage to his right hand, and several commentators claim that he could have added to his list of majors had this disability not afflicted him. Vardon and James Braid collaborated on several editions of Spalding Athletic Library "How to Play Golf". Vardon died in 1937 at the age 66, of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

or possibly

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

, at his home at 14 (now number 35) Totteridge Lane, Whetstone, London, and is buried in St. Andrew's Church cemetery in

Totteridge Totteridge is a residential area and former village in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a mixture of suburban development and open land (including some farmland) situated 8 miles (13 km) north north-west of Charing Cross. It ...

after a funeral service on 24 March. That year, the

PGA of America The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to establish and elevate t ...

created the Vardon Trophy, now awarded annually to the player on the

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 ...

with the year's lowest adjusted scoring average. The British PGA also created the Harry Vardon Trophy which now serves as the award for the winner of the European Tour's Race to Dubai. In 1974, Vardon was chosen as one of the initial group of inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame. His most prestigious medals, including those from his six British Open Championships, are on display in a tribute to him at the Jersey Museum. In the annals of golf, he is considered one of the greats of the game. In 2000, Vardon was ranked as the 13th best golfer of all time by ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...

'' magazine. Vardon is often called "The Stylist", "Mr. Golf" and "The Icon of Golfing"; another nickname attached to him was "Greyhound".

Vardon grip

Vardon was also well known for the Vardon grip, or overlapping grip, the grip most popular among professional golfers. In the Vardon grip, one places the little finger of the trailing hand (the one placed lower on the club – right hand for a right-handed player) in between the index and middle finger on the leading hand (the hand that is higher on the club). The leading-hand thumb should fit in the lifeline of the trailing hand. Vardon actually took up this grip some time after Johnny Laidlay, a champion Scottish amateur player, invented it. A visual depiction of the ''Vardon Grip'' is the logo of South Herts Golf Club where Vardon was the club professional from 1902 until his death in 1937

In popular culture

*A biography of Vardon, published in 1991 and authored by his daughter-in-law, Audrey Howell, provides much intimate detail about the life of this champion. *English actor

Stephen Dillane Stephen John Dillane (; born 27 March 1957) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Leonard Woolf in the 2002 film ''The Hours (film), The Hours'', Stannis Baratheon in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012–2015) and T ...

portrayed Vardon in director Bill Paxton's 2005 film '' The Greatest Game Ever Played''. A book of the same name (upon which the movie was based), written by Mark Frost, goes into great detail depicting Vardon's life. *Irish-American actor Aidan Quinn portrayed Vardon in the 2004 film '' Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius''. *Harry Vardon authored a golf instruction book, ''The Gist of Golf''. *A career record of Vardon, published in 2015 and authored by Bill Williams, provides a definitive list of the tournaments he played in and where he finished in the field. *Bill Williams authored in 2016 a second book about Vardon, and his three trips to North America in 1900, 1913 and 1920. The book traces the beginnings of golf in America, the influence Vardon had in popularizing the game and his role in bringing about the Ryder Cup.

Tournament wins (49)

Major championships are shown in bold.

Singles (48)

*1896

, Pau Golf Club Invitational (Fra), Cleveland Golf Club Pro Tournament (Eng) *1897 Wallasey Open (Eng), Southport Open (Eng) *1898

, Royal Musselburgh Open (Sco), Prestwick St Nicholas Tournament (Sco), Windermere Invitational (Eng), Norbury Invitational (Eng), Carnoustie Pro Event (Sco), Earlsferry & Elie Professional Tournament (Sco), County Down Professional Tournament (Ire), Barton-on-Sea Invitational (Eng), Lytham St Annes Professional Tournament (Eng) *1899

, Cruden Bay Professional Tournament (Sco), Irish Championship Meeting Professional Tournament (Ire), Mid-Surrey Professional Meeting (Eng) *1900 U.S. Open *1901 Mid-Surrey Professional Tournament (Eng), Glamorganshire Golf Club Invitational (Wal) *1902 Leeds Cup (Eng), Witley Court Invitational (Eng), Edzell Golf Club Open Meeting (Sco) *1903

, Richmond Golf Club Invitational (Eng), Enfield Golf Club Invitational (Eng), Western Gailes Invitational (Sco) *1904 The Irvine Golf Club Match Play (Sco) *1905 Montrose Open (Sco) *1906 Musselburgh Tournament (Sco), News of the World Matchplay Southern Section qualifying at Stanmore (tie with James Braid) (Eng) *1907 Blackpool Park Invitational (Eng) *1908 Nice International Tournament (Fra), Costebelle Club Invitational (Fra) *1909 St Andrews Tournament (Sco) *1911

Tooting Bec Cup The Tooting Bec Cup is a trophy currently awarded by the Professional Golfers' Association of Great Britain and Ireland to the association member born in, or with a parent or parents born in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland who returns ...

(Eng), Bramshot Cup (Eng), German Open (Ger) *1912 Cooden Beach Open (Eng),

News of the World Match Play The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...

(Eng) *1913 Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Southern Section qualifying at Denham (tie with James Batley) (Eng), US Open qualifying Tournament (USA) *1914

, Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Southern Section qualifying at Worplesdon (Eng), Cruden Bay Professional Tournament (Sco)

Foursomes (1)

*1913 Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament (Eng) – (with Tom Willamson)

Team event wins

He won team events from 1899 to 1928. *1899 England vs Scotland International Foursome (36 holes match play) Vardon & John Ball vs Freddie Tait & Willie Park, Jr. *1905 England vs Scotland International Foursome (144 holes match play) Vardon & J.H. Taylor vs James Braid & Sandy Herd *1906 England vs Scotland at Muirfield (Sco) – England won 12 – 6 *1907 England vs Scotland at Hoylake (Eng) – England won 8 – 5 (3 halved) *1908 Great Britain vs France at Cagnes (Fra) – Great Britain won 3 – 0 *1909 England vs Scotland at Royal Cinque Ports (Eng) – England won 11 – 4 (3 halved) *1910 England vs Scotland at St Andrews (Sco) – England won 11 – 5 (2 halved) * 1911 Coronation Match (Eng) – Professionals beat Amateurs 8 – 1 *1913 England vs Scotland at Hoylake (Eng) – England won 13 – 4 (1 halved) *1914 International Charity Match (England vs Scotland) at Fulwell Golf Course (Eng) – England won 8 – 6 (4 halved) *1920 England vs Scotland at Moray Golf Club (Sco) – England won 7 – 5 (1 halved) *1921 Great Britain vs USA at Gleneagles (Sco) – GB won 9 – 3 (3 halved) *1928 Seniors vs Juniors at Verulam (Eng) – Seniors won 7 – 1 (2 halved)

Major championships

Wins (7)

¹ Defeated J.H. Taylor in 36-hole playoff by 4 strokes
² Defeated Arnaud Massy in 36-hole playoff: Massy conceded on the 35th hole

Results timeline

''Note: Vardon only played in

and the U.S. Open.''
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Photo library

Harry Vardon 1899 GI .jpg, Harry Vardon 1899 Braid-James-with-Harry-Varden-c-1907.jpg, Vardon & James Braid Harry-vardon display image.jpg, Harry Vardon Commerative stone Jersey GC.jpg, Royal Jersey G.C. Jones & Vardon 1920.jpg, Bobby Jones & Vardon 1920 US Open Ted Ray & Harry Vardon 1920.jpg, Ted Ray & Harry 1920 British Team 1921 - Gleneagles.jpg, British Team 1921 at Gleneagles Harry Vardon Willie Anderson JH Taylor 1900 US Open winners .jpg, Vardon, Willie Anderson & J.H. Taylor 1900 US Open Vardon 1900.jpg, Harry Vardon at Poland Springs 1900

Bibliography

*The Complete Golfer (1905) *How to Play Golf (1907) *Success at Golf (1914) *Golf Club Selection (1916) *Progressive Golf (1920) *The Gist of Golf (1922) *My Golfing Life (1933)

References

External links

Profile at golf legends
*
SoHG resources on Vardon
* * * *
Home of the Vardon Grip
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vardon, Harry Jersey male golfers Winners of men's major golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Golf course architects Golf writers People from Grouville 1870 births 1937 deaths