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Harry Vardon born May 9, 1870 in Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands – died March 20, 1937 in Totteridge, Hertfordshire, England, was a champion golfer.
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 at age 20 was so good, he turned professional. 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. 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 US Open. Twenty years later, at the age of 50, Vardon was the runner-up at the 1920 US 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. After his death in 1937, the PGA of America created the Vardon Trophy. It is awarded annually to the player on the United States tour with the year's lowest stroke average.
Harry Vardon is a member of 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.
Major tournament wins:
Adapted from the article Harry Vardon (http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.phtml?title=Harry_Vardon), from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
External Links
- Harry Vardon (http://golf.about.com/od/golfersmen/p/harry_vardon.htm) Profile and stats
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