Harry Vardon

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A 2002 collection of Harry Vardon's golf writing.

Harry Vardon (May 9, 1870 – March 20, 1937) was an English champion golfer.

Harry Vardon was born in Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands. As a child growing up on the island of Jersey, Harry Vardon did not play much golf. Inspired by his older brother, Tom, he eventually took up the game in his teens and by age 20 he was so good that he turned professional. Vardon was the first professional golfer to play in knickers -- the "proper" Englishman dressed in an uncomfortable shirt and tie with a buttoned jacket. Nonetheless, within a few years he became golf's first superstar.

In 1896, Harry Vardon won the first of his record six Open Championships (a record that still stands today). In 1900, he became golf's first international celebrity when he toured the United States playing in more than 80 matches and capping it off with a victory in the U.S. Open. Twenty years later, at the age of 50, Vardon was the runner-up at the 1920 U.S. Open.

During his career, Harry Vardon won 62 golf tournaments. He popularized the grip that bears his name, one still used by over 90 percent of golfers. In his later years, Vardon became a golf course architect, designing several courses in Britain. Following a bout with tuberculosis, he struggled with health problems for years but turned to coaching and writing golf instruction and inspirational books. Harry Vardon died in 1937 in Totteridge, Hertfordshire, England. After his death, the PGA of America created the Vardon Trophy. It is awarded annually to the player on the PGA Tour with the year's lowest adjusted scoring average.

In 1974 Harry 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, Harry Vardon is considered one of the greats of the game.

Harry Vardon was a private and modest individual. A biography of Harry Vardon, published in 1991 and authored by his daughter-in-law, Audrey Howell, provides much intimate detail about the life of this champion.

1 Vardon Grip
2 Major Championships
- 2.1 Wins (7)
3 Media Depictions
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Vardon Grip

Harry Vardon was also famous for the Vardon 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 lead hand (the hand that is higher on the club). The lead-hand thumb should fit in the lifeline of the trailing hand.

[edit] Major Championships

[edit] Wins (7)

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runners Up
1896	The Open Championship		(316)	Playoff ¹	J.H. Taylor
1898	The Open Championship (2)	2 shot deficit	(307)	1 stroke	Willie Park, Jnr.
1899	The Open Championship (3)	11 shot lead	(76-76-81-77=310)	5 strokes	Jack White
1900	U.S. Open	4 shot lead	(79-78-76-80=313)	2 strokes	J.H. Taylor
1903	The Open Championship (4)	7 shot lead	(73-77-72-78=300)	6 strokes	Tom Vardon
1911	The Open Championship (5)		(303)	Playoff ²	Arnaud Massy
1914	The Open Championship (6)	2 shot deficit	(73-77-78-78=306)	3 strokes	J.H. Taylor