1899 Panoramic Photograph of Match
between Willie Park, Jr. & Harry Vardon

Historic 1899 panoramic photograph of a match between Willie Park, Jr. and Harry Vardon. The match occured at Ganton. It depicts Willie Park, Jr. driving the ball as Harry Vardon looks on. Also pictured is Willie Park's caddie, "Fiery" and Park's match referee Freddie Tait, as well as Vardon's referee Mr. Broadwood and caddie, brother Alex Vardon.

The year before, Park had missed a three-foot putt on the final green at Prestwick to tie Harry Vardon in the Open. Leading to a heated debate throughout Britain over who was the better player a high stakes challenge match was arranged in which the two great professionals of their age went head-to-head over 36-holes at North Berwick and 36-holes at Ganton. Dubbed the match of the century each leg drew enormous crowds especially the second leg at Vardons’ ‘home’ club of Ganton in Northern England on 23 July. A real grudge match each player deposited £100 of their own money with the editor of Golf Magazine prior to teeing off. With the legendary Scottish Amateur FG Tait brought in to act as match referee Vardon took a two-up advantage from the previous match at North Berwick, before running out a convincing winner by 11 holes up with 10 to play.

This impossibly rare photograph measures 2 5/8" x 5 5/8".