
Author Mark Frost includes English golf great John Henry Taylor’s assessment of Harry Vardon. It really caught my attention.
Taylor lived until 1963. Having personally watched and evaluated every major player to come on the scene for over seven decades, including Hogan and Nicklaus, he never wavered in his admiration of Harry Vardon.
“Little did I guess when playing him at Ganton,” Taylor later wrote in his excellent autobiography, “that I was playing a man who would develop into -- in my solemn and considered judgement -- the finest and most finished golfer the game has ever produced.”
Granted, the equipment, courses and playing conditions were incredibly different. Still, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Think about it. Besides playing alongside Vardon, Taylor also saw Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus (at least early in his career). After witnessing all their games, Vardon was still his man.
For the record, Harry Vardon won 62 tournaments, including six British Opens, which is still a record.
The Armchair Golfer
Down the Middle: Presidents Cup: Mike Weir, Canadian Hero