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Harry Vardon Trophy

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This article is about the European Tour golf award. For the PGA Tour award, see Vardon Trophy.

The Harry Vardon Trophy is awarded by the European Tour. Since 2009 it has been awarded to the winner of the Race to Dubai. Before then it was awarded to the winner of the "Order of Merit". From 1975 to 2008 the Order of Merit was based on prize money but before that date a points system was used. From 1937 until the European Tour became an independent organisation, the award was presented by the British PGA. The trophy is named for the Jersey golfing great Harry Vardon, who died in 1937.

The Race to Dubai is calculated in euro, although many of the events have prize funds which are fixed in other currencies, mainly pounds sterling or U.S. dollars. In these instances, the amounts are converted into euro at the exchange rate for the week that the tournament is played.

History

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The award was created in 1937 as the Harry Vardon Memorial Trophy. In its first year the award was presented to the player with the best average in the major stroke play events. Seven events were used: Daily Mail Tournament, Silver King Tournament, Dunlop-Southport Tournament, Southend Tournament, Open Championship, Irish Open and News Chronicle Tournament. Qualifying rounds did not count and a minimum of 18 rounds had to be played. The Dunlop-Metropolitan Tournament with its restricted field was not included and so the last qualifying event was the delayed Southend Tournament. Charles Whitcombe became the first winner with an average of 71.62 for 24 rounds. He had played in 6 of the 7 events (all except the Irish Open) scoring 289, 289, 283, 294, 282 and 282 for a total of 1719. The Irish golfer Paddy Mahon was second with an average of 71.90.[1][2][3]

Six events were used in 1938 with a minimum of 16 rounds which had to include The Open Championship. The same events were used as in 1937 with the exception of the Southend Tournament. Henry Cotton won the award with an average of 72.87 having played in 4 of the 6 qualifying events. Reg Whitcombe was second with an average of 73.35 for 20 rounds.[4][5]

A new system was introduced in 1939. A points system was used with the winner getting 1 point, 2nd place getting 2 points, down to 26 points for finishing outside the top 25. Five events were used with a minimum of 16 rounds which had to include the four rounds of the Open Championship. The Dunlop-Southport Tournament did not take place but otherwise the same tournaments were used as in 1938. Reg Whitcombe won with a score of 27 (7th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd and 9th). Sam King was second on 49 which included 26 points because he had not played in the Irish Open. King had a lower average (72.87) than Whitcombe (73).[6][7]

In 1946, after World War II, the award was again given to the player with the best average in the major stroke play events. 20 rounds were required and four rounds of the Open were compulsory. Bobby Locke won with an average of 73.16 in 36 rounds.[8] Norman Von Nida won in 1947 with an average of 71.25 in 52 rounds[9] and Charlie Ward won in 1948 averaging 71.29 over 44 rounds.[10]

Before 1980, the Order of Merit had been based on a points system or stroke average, so it was not necessarily headed by the golfer who won the most money. In 1971 Peter Oosterhuis won the Order of Merit and won £9,269. Gary Player was the leading money winner with £11,281 but of that, £8,500 came from winning the 1971 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship.[11]

In 2009, the Order of Merit was replaced by the Race to Dubai, with a bonus pool of US$7.5 million[12] (originally $10 million) distributed among the top 15 players at the end of the season, with the winner taking $1.5 million[12] (originally $2 million). The new name reflected the addition of a new season ending tournament, the Dubai World Championship, held at the end of November in Dubai. The tournament also had a $7.5 million prize fund[12] (originally $10 million), and was contested by the leading 60 players in the race following the season's penultimate event, the Hong Kong Open. The winner of the Race to Dubai also receives a ten-year European Tour exemption, while the winner of the Dubai World Championship receives a five-year exemption.[13][14][15] The reduction in prize money, announced in September 2009,[12] was due to the global economic downturn. In 2012, the bonus pool was reduced to $3.75 million with the winner getting $1 million and only the top 10 golfers getting a bonus.[16] The bonus pool was increased to $5 million in 2014 with the top 15 players earning part of the pool.[17][18] 2019 saw further changes: in 2018 the top 10 finishers on the Race to Dubai shared the bonus pool of $5 million, but as of 2019 the sum was split between only the leading five finishers. Whoever topped the standings received an additional $2 million compared with the $1.25 million won by Francesco Molinari in 2018. In addition, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai was cut to the top 50 golfers on the Race to Dubai list, the prize fund was kept at $8 million but the winner's share was increased to $3 million. This was designed to increase interest and player participation in the event.[19]

In November 2021, the Race to Dubai was renamed the DP World Tour Rankings in line with the tour being retitled as the DP World Tour. However, in November 2022, the tour announced that the Rankings would be reverted to the Race to Dubai, starting from the 2023 season.[20]

Winners

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Year Winner Points
Race to Dubai
2024 Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy (6) 6,998
2023 Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy (5) 5,296
Year DP World Tour Rankings Points
2022 Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy (4) 4,754
Year Race to Dubai Points
2021 United States Collin Morikawa 5,856
2020 England Lee Westwood (3) 3,128
2019 Spain Jon Rahm 5,898
2018 Italy Francesco Molinari 6,041,521
2017 England Tommy Fleetwood 5,386,955
2016 Sweden Henrik Stenson (2) 5,289,506
2015 Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy (3) 4,727,253
2014 Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy (2) 7,149,503
2013 Sweden Henrik Stenson 4,103,796
Year Race to Dubai Prize money (€)
2012 Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy 5,519,118
2011 England Luke Donald 5,323,400
2010 Germany Martin Kaymer 4,461,011
2009 England Lee Westwood (2) 4,237,762
Year Order of Merit Prize money (€)
2008 Sweden Robert Karlsson 2,732,748
2007 England Justin Rose 2,944,945
2006 Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington 2,489,337
2005 Scotland Colin Montgomerie (8) 2,794,223
2004 South Africa Ernie Els (2) 4,061,905
2003 South Africa Ernie Els 2,975,374
2002 South Africa Retief Goosen (2) 2,360,128
Year Volvo Order of Merit Prize money (€)
2001 South Africa Retief Goosen 2,862,806
2000 England Lee Westwood 3,125,147
1999 Scotland Colin Montgomerie (7) 1,822,880
Year Volvo Order of Merit Prize money (£)
1998 Scotland Colin Montgomerie (6) 993,077
1997 Scotland Colin Montgomerie (5) 798,948
1996 Scotland Colin Montgomerie (4) 875,146
1995 Scotland Colin Montgomerie (3) 835,051
1994 Scotland Colin Montgomerie (2) 762,720
1993 Scotland Colin Montgomerie 613,683
1992 England Nick Faldo (2) 708,522
1991 Spain Seve Ballesteros (6) 545,354
1990 Wales Ian Woosnam (2) 574,166
1989 Northern Ireland Ronan Rafferty 400,311
1988 Spain Seve Ballesteros (5) 451,560
Year Epson Order of Merit Prize money (£)
1987 Wales Ian Woosnam 253,717
1986 Spain Seve Ballesteros (4) 242,209
1985 Scotland Sandy Lyle (3) 162,553
Year Sperry Order of Merit Prize money (£)
1984 West Germany Bernhard Langer (2) 139,344
Year Official money list Prize money (£)
1983 England Nick Faldo 119,416
1982 Australia Greg Norman 66,406
1981 West Germany Bernhard Langer 81,036
1980 Scotland Sandy Lyle (2) 43,346
Year Order of Merit Points
1979 Scotland Sandy Lyle 39,808
1978 Spain Seve Ballesteros (3) 47,178
1977 Spain Seve Ballesteros (2) 28,699
1976 Spain Seve Ballesteros 21,495
1975 South Africa Dale Hayes 17,488
1974 England Peter Oosterhuis (4) 2,965
1973 England Peter Oosterhuis (3) 3,440
1972 England Peter Oosterhuis (2) 1,751
1971 England Peter Oosterhuis 1,293
1970 England Neil Coles (2) 779
1969 Scotland Bernard Gallacher 910
1968 Wales Brian Huggett 919
1967 England Malcolm Gregson
1966 England Peter Alliss (2) 893
1965 England Bernard Hunt (3) 969
1964 England Peter Alliss 1,940
1963 England Neil Coles 674
1962 Republic of Ireland Christy O'Connor Snr (2)
1961 Republic of Ireland Christy O'Connor Snr
1960 England Bernard Hunt (2)
1959 Wales Dai Rees (2)
1958 England Bernard Hunt
1957 Scotland Eric Brown
1956 England Harry Weetman (2)
1955 Wales Dai Rees
1954 South Africa Bobby Locke (3)
1953 Belgium Flory Van Donck
1952 England Harry Weetman
1951 Scotland John Panton
1950 South Africa Bobby Locke (2)
1949 England Charlie Ward (2)
1948 England Charlie Ward
1947 Australia Norman Von Nida
1946 South Africa Bobby Locke
1940–1945: No award
1939 England Reg Whitcombe
1938 England Henry Cotton
1937 England Charles Whitcombe

Multiple winners

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Rank Player Wins Years won
1 Scotland Colin Montgomerie 8 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005
T2 Spain Seve Ballesteros 6 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1991
Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy 2012, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024
4 England Peter Oosterhuis 4 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974
T5 England Bernard Hunt 3 1958, 1960, 1965
South Africa Bobby Locke 1946, 1950, 1954
Scotland Sandy Lyle 1979, 1980, 1985
England Lee Westwood 2000, 2009, 2020
T9 England Peter Alliss 2 1964, 1966
England Neil Coles 1963, 1970
South Africa Ernie Els 2003, 2004
England Nick Faldo 1983, 1992
South Africa Retief Goosen 2001, 2002
West Germany Bernhard Langer 1981, 1984
Republic of Ireland Christy O'Connor Snr 1961, 1962
Wales Dai Rees 1955, 1959
Sweden Henrik Stenson 2013, 2016
England Charlie Ward 1948, 1949
England Harry Weetman 1952, 1956
Wales Ian Woosnam 1987, 1990

References

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  1. ^ "Harry Vardon Memorial Trophy". The Times. 10 September 1937. p. 5.
  2. ^ "Harry Vardon Memorial Trophy". The Times. 13 September 1937. p. 6.
  3. ^ "Harry Vardon Memorial Trophy – C A Whitcombe's fine average". The Times. 1 October 1937. p. 5.
  4. ^ "Golf – The Harry Vardon Trophy". The Times. 13 January 1938. p. 6.
  5. ^ "The "Vardon" Trophy". The Times. 20 August 1938. p. 3.
  6. ^ "The Harry Vardon Trophy". The Times. 19 August 1939. p. 5.
  7. ^ "The Harry Vardon Trophy – final placings". The Times. 2 September 1939. p. 3.
  8. ^ "Golf – Locke wins Harry Vardon Trophy". The Times. 20 September 1946. p. 8.
  9. ^ "Harry Vardon Trophy – Von Nida's success". The Times. 9 September 1947. p. 2.
  10. ^ "Golf – Harry Vardon Trophy". The Times. 15 September 1948. p. 2.
  11. ^ "Golf - Oosterhuis heads merit list". The Times. 6 November 1971. p. 15.
  12. ^ a b c d "Dubai tourney winnings cut 25 percent". ESPN. 21 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  13. ^ "US boss welcomes European windfall". BBC Sport. 21 November 2007. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  14. ^ "Race to Dubai". European Tour. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  15. ^ "Euro Tour Unveils Race to Dubai". Golf Channel. 19 November 2007.
  16. ^ Ballengee, Ryan (5 January 2012). "Race to Dubai bonus pool slashed in half for 2012". Golf Channel. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  17. ^ "Race to Dubai Extended to 2017". PGA European Tour. 17 November 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  18. ^ "New qualifying format for Final Series". ESPN. Associated Press. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  19. ^ Carter, Iain (13 February 2019). "Race to Dubai: Biggest top prize in golf of £2.3m announced by European Tour". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  20. ^ "The DP World Tour Rankings to become the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex for the 2023 season". European Tour. 21 November 2022. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
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