Harry Vardon

Who is Harry Vardon?

Harry Vardon was born on 9 May 1870 in Grouville, Jersey, one of the Channel Islands' most celebrated sporting figures. He rose from a modest background — his father worked as a gardener — to become the dominant golfer of his generation, winning The Open Championship a record six times between 1896 and 1914, a total that remains unmatched more than a century later. Alongside fellow professionals James Braid and J.H. Taylor, he formed golf's "Great Triumvirate", which dominated the sport in the years before the First World War. Vardon popularised the overlapping grip still used by the majority of golfers today, widely known as the "Vardon Grip". In 1900 he undertook an extensive exhibition tour of the United States, helping to popularise the sport there and finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open that year. He also wrote instructional books on golf technique that shaped how the game was taught for decades. The PGA Tour's Vardon Trophy, awarded annually for the lowest scoring average, is named in his honour. He died in 1937, having turned Jersey into a recognised name in world golf.

Sources: The Open Championship official records, The R&A · Harry Vardon, The Complete Golfer (1905) · Jersey Heritage biographical archive