The Harry Vardon Trophy is a golf award presented 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 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.
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.
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).
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. Norman Von Nida won in 1947 with an average of 71.25 in 52 rounds and Charlie Ward won in 1948 averaging 71.29 over 44 rounds.
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.
In 2009, the Order of Merit was replaced by the Race to Dubai, with a bonus pool of US$7.5 million (originally $10 million) distributed among the top 15 players at the end of the season, with the winner taking $1.5 million (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 (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. The reduction in prize money, announced in September 2009, 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. The bonus pool was increased to $5 million in 2014 with the top 15 players earning part of the pool. 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.
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.
Winners YearWinnerPointsRace to Dubai2025 Rory McIlroy (7) 5,9752024 Rory McIlroy (6) 6,9982023 Rory McIlroy (5) 5,296YearDP World Tour RankingsPoints2022 Rory McIlroy (4) 4,754YearRace to DubaiPoints2021 Collin Morikawa 5,8562020 Lee Westwood (3) 3,1282019 Jon Rahm 5,8982018 Francesco Molinari 6,041,5212017 Tommy Fleetwood 5,386,9552016 Henrik Stenson (2) 5,289,5062015 Rory McIlroy (3) 4,727,2532014 Rory McIlroy (2) 7,149,5032013 Henrik Stenson 4,103,796YearRace to DubaiPrize money (€)2012 Rory McIlroy 5,519,1182011 Luke Donald 5,323,4002010 Martin Kaymer 4,461,0112009 Lee Westwood (2) 4,237,762YearOrder of MeritPrize money (€)2008 Robert Karlsson 2,732,7482007 Justin Rose 2,944,9452006 Pádraig Harrington 2,489,3372005 Colin Montgomerie (8) 2,794,2232004 Ernie Els (2) 4,061,9052003 Ernie Els 2,975,3742002 Retief Goosen (2) 2,360,128YearVolvo Order of MeritPrize money (€)2001 Retief Goosen 2,862,8062000 Lee Westwood 3,125,1471999 Colin Montgomerie (7) 1,822,880YearVolvo Order of MeritPrize money (£)1998 Colin Montgomerie (6) 993,0771997 Colin Montgomerie (5) 798,9481996 Colin Montgomerie (4) 875,1461995 Colin Montgomerie (3) 835,0511994 Colin Montgomerie (2) 762,7201993 Colin Montgomerie 613,6831992 Nick Faldo (2) 708,5221991 Seve Ballesteros (6) 545,3541990 Ian Woosnam (2) 574,1661989 Ronan Rafferty 400,3111988 Seve Ballesteros (5) 451,560YearEpson Order of MeritPrize money (£)1987 Ian Woosnam 253,7171986 Seve Ballesteros (4) 242,2091985 Sandy Lyle (3) 162,553YearSperry Order of MeritPrize money (£)1984 Bernhard Langer (2) 139,344YearOfficial money listPrize money (£)1983 Nick Faldo 119,4161982 Greg Norman 66,4061981 Bernhard Langer 81,0361980 Sandy Lyle (2) 43,346YearOrder of MeritPoints1979 Sandy Lyle 39,8081978 Seve Ballesteros (3) 47,1781977 Seve Ballesteros (2) 28,6991976 Seve Ballesteros 21,4951975 Dale Hayes 17,4881974 Peter Oosterhuis (4) 2,9651973 Peter Oosterhuis (3) 3,4401972 Peter Oosterhuis (2) 1,7511971 Peter Oosterhuis 1,2931970 Neil Coles (2) 7791969 Bernard Gallacher 9101968 Brian Huggett 9191967 Malcolm Gregson 1966 Peter Alliss (2) 8931965 Bernard Hunt (3) 9691964 Peter Alliss 1,9401963 Neil Coles 6741962 Christy O'Connor Snr (2) 1961 Christy O'Connor Snr 1960 Bernard Hunt (2) 1959 Dai Rees (2) 1958 Bernard Hunt 1957 Eric Brown 1956 Harry Weetman (2) 1955 Dai Rees 1954 Bobby Locke (3) 1953 Flory Van Donck 1952 Harry Weetman 1951 John Panton 1950 Bobby Locke (2) 1949 Charlie Ward (2) 1948 Charlie Ward 1947 Norman Von Nida 1946 Bobby Locke 1940–1945: No award1939 Reg Whitcombe 1938 Henry Cotton 1937 Charles Whitcombe
Multiple winners Rank Player Wins Years won 1 Colin Montgomerie 81993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005 2 Rory McIlroy 72012, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 3 Seve Ballesteros 61976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1988, 1991 4 Peter Oosterhuis 41971, 1972, 1973, 1974T5 Bernard Hunt31958, 1960, 1965 Bobby Locke1946, 1950, 1954 Sandy Lyle1979, 1980, 1985 Lee Westwood2000, 2009, 2020T9 Peter Alliss21964, 1966 Neil Coles1963, 1970 Ernie Els2003, 2004 Nick Faldo1983, 1992 Retief Goosen2001, 2002 Bernhard Langer1981, 1984 Christy O'Connor Snr1961, 1962 Dai Rees1955, 1959 Henrik Stenson2013, 2016 Charlie Ward1948, 1949 Harry Weetman1952, 1956 Ian Woosnam1987, 1990
References
External links Harry Vardon Trophy Honour Roll at www.pga.info Harry Vardon Trophy winners at www.europeantour.com