From Park to Woods: The best at the British Open
By Bill Felber
Best of the British Open: #2
2. Harry Vardon, -33.96, 1893-1914
More than a century after his prime, Harry Vardon remains the quintessential British golfing legend. A record six Open championships plus a swing so smooth it became the model later golfers tried to emulate will do that for you.
Vardon not only won, he consistently beat the best of his era. In 1896 his first title came in a playoff with two-time defending champion John H. Taylor. He beat Willie Park Jr. by a stroke in 1898, breezed to the 1899 title, and in 1903 turned in probably the best performance of his career, beating his brother, Tom, by six strokes.
That 1903 win was made more remarkable when Vardon shortly afterward was diagnosed with tuberculosis. It was the leading cause of death in those days, and Vardon labored for several seasons to beat it. But in 1911 he completed his recovery, tying Arnaud Massy and then crushing the Frenchman so thoroughly in a playoff that Massy walked off the course before completing play.
Vardon’s last victory came in June of 1914, just weeks before the onset of The Great War ended competitive golf in Britain for six years. He and his long-time rival, Taylor, battled, each seeking that unprecedented sixth win, which Vardon got by three shots.
Vardon returned to competitive golf following the war, but only briefly. The combination of age, the war layoff and the lingering effects of tuberculosis had undermined his once brilliant game.