The TAURUS Golf Legend: Harry Vardon
- Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
- Major Championship Victories 7
- U.S. Open: 1900
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- British Open: 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914
- Total Tournament Victories: 62
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Born, May 9th, 1870, Harry Vardon won the British
Open a record six times. A shotmaker of incredible
talent in the era of hickory and gutta percha, he
was golf’s first superstar.
Vardon, a true original, developed his own grip, the overlap, where
the little finger of the right hand is rested on top of the index
finger of the left hand, still used by over 90 percent of players
today.
 The
son of a gardener he was one of six boys and two girls in Grouville,
Jersey, one of the Channel Islands between England and France. As
a child, he did not play much golf, not taking up the game until
his teens and didn’t decide to make golf a career until inspired
by his older brother Tom who had turned professional.
Like most Taurans, Vardon possessed a peaceful temperament, despite
a tendency toward stubbornness. He was made for golf even though
he was, by today's standards, small in stature at 5’9”
and 155 pounds. Probably his greatest asset was his large hands
that enabled him to grip the club with confidence. He perfected
a repeating swing that was more upright, resulting in a higher trajectory,
giving him the advantage of greater distance and softer landings.
Vardon played in knickers (the first professional to do this), a hard
collar and tie with a buttoned jacket and fancy topped stockings.
Despite this uncomfortable attire, he played with a wonderful relaxed
manner, with a total lack of stress or tension in any part of his
swing.
In 1900, Vardon toured America, playing in some 88 matches that he won most
of, even against the better ball of two players. He won his last
two British Open Championships after the age of 40, an incredible
feat. He died on March 20, 1937 in London leaving a legacy that
survives today with the Vardon Trophy, awarded annually to the professional
with the lowest stroke average.
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