The Great Triumvirate , in a golfing context, refers to the three leading British golfers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Harry Vardon, John Henry Taylor, and James Braid. The trio combined to win The Open Championship 16 times in the 21 tournaments held between 1894 and 1914; Vardon won six times with Braid and Taylor winning five apiece. [1] [2] [3] In the five tournaments in this span the triumvirate did not win, one or more of them finished runner-up.
| Year | Winner | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 |  | 1 stroke |  |
| 1902 | | 1 stroke |  |
| 1904 | | 1 stroke | |
| 1907 |  | 2 strokes | |
| 1912 | | 4 strokes | |
John Henry "J.H." Taylor was an English professional golfer and one of the pioneers of the modern game of golf. Taylor is considered to be one of the best golfers of all time. He was a significant golf course architect. Taylor helped to found the British PGA, the world's first, and became respected for his administrative work. He also wrote two notable golf books.
Henry William "Harry" Vardon was a professional golfer from the Bailiwick of Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the 1900 U.S. Open.
James Braid was a Scottish professional golfer and a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport alongside Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He won The Open Championship five times. He also was a renowned golf course architect. Braid is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Edward Rivers John "Ted" Ray was a British professional golfer, one of the leading players of the first quarter of the 20th century. He won two major championships, the Open Championship in 1912 and the U.S. Open in 1920, and contended in many others. He was captain of the British team in the inaugural Ryder Cup, in 1927.
The German Open was a men's golf tournament. It was first staged in 1911 when the winner was Harry Vardon. The following year the champion was another of the Great Triumvirate of late 19th and early 20th century British golfers, John Henry Taylor. The tournament was then not played again for over a decade. It was played each year from 1926 to 1939; Percy Alliss won five times in this era, Auguste Boyer four times and Henry Cotton three.
The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the News of the World, and was commonly known by the paper's name. Initially organised as the championship of British professionals, the event came to include invited players from other countries – in particular from around the Commonwealth. On occasion, American professionals also took part, notably in 1949 when eight members of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup side accepted invites to the event, Lloyd Mangrum reaching the semi-finals.
The 1896 Open Championship was the 36th Open Championship, held 10–11 and 13 June at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Harry Vardon won the Championship after a playoff against J.H. Taylor.
The 1899 Open Championship was the 39th Open Championship, held 7–8 June at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Defending champion Harry Vardon won the Championship for the 3rd time, by five strokes from runner-up Jack White.
The 1900 Open Championship was the 40th Open Championship, held 6–7 June at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. J.H. Taylor won the Championship for the 3rd time, by eight strokes from runner-up Harry Vardon.
The 1901 Open Championship was the 41st Open Championship, held 5–6 June at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. James Braid won the Championship, three strokes ahead of runner-up Harry Vardon. The Championship was a close contest between Braid, Vardon and J.H. Taylor with the leading amateur 11 strokes behind Braid and the next professional 16 strokes behind.
The 1906 Open Championship was the 46th Open Championship, held 13–15 June at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Defending champion James Braid won the Championship for the third time, four strokes ahead of runner-up J.H. Taylor.
The 1914 Open Championship was the 54th Open Championship, held 18–19 June at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Harry Vardon won a record sixth Open Championship title, three strokes ahead of runner-up J.H. Taylor, the defending champion. Entering the championship, Vardon, Taylor, and James Braid had five Open wins each. This was the sixteenth and final Open title for these three, the Great Triumvirate. Due to World War I, it was the last Open for six years; the next was in 1920.
The 1922 Open Championship was the 57th Open Championship, played 22–23 June at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Walter Hagen became the first American-born winner of the Open Championship, one stroke ahead of runners-up Jim Barnes and George Duncan. It was the first of Hagen's four Open Championships and the fourth of his eleven major titles.
The 1900 U.S. Open was the sixth U.S. Open, held October 4–5 at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. On a tour of the United States from Britain, Harry Vardon won his only U.S. Open title, two strokes ahead of his great rival, J.H. Taylor.
James Kay was a Scottish professional golfer who played during the late 19th century and early 20th century. He served as the head professional at Seaton Carew Golf Club from 1886–1926, a remarkable 40 years of service. He had two top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His son Andrew was also a professional golfer.
Tom Williamson was an English professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. Williamson finished in the top 10 in the Open Championship on six occasions. His best performance came in the 1914 Open Championship when he tied for fourth place, six shots behind the winner. With Harry Vardon he won the 1913 Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament by a convincing 7 & 5 margin. He won the Midland Professional Championship seven times.
Rowland Thomas Jones was an English professional golfer who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. Jones had two top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best performance came in the 1905 Open Championship when he finished tied for second place.
The Cruden Bay Professional Tournament was a professional golf tournament played irregularly at Cruden Bay from 1899 to 1914.
The 1903 News of the World Match Play was the first News of the World Match Play tournament. It was played from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 October at Sunningdale Golf Club. 32 players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 18 holes, except for the final which was over 36 holes. The winner received £100 out of a total prize fund of £200. James Braid defeated Ted Ray 4 & 3 in the final to win the tournament.
The Nice International Tournament was a professional invitational golf tournament played at Nice Golf Club in Cagnes-sur-Mer, 10 km west of Nice, France. The event was held just once, on 17 March 1908. The tournament was contested by 8 invited players. The main event was a stroke-play contest over 36 holes, won by Harry Vardon, four strokes ahead of Arnaud Massy.