Harry Vardon w/Braid 1906 Challenge Match vs Duncan & Mayo Winning Used The Colonel Golf Ball
The Trilogy of Harry Vardon golf balls has come to an end. June saw the 1900 US Open ball smash all golf ball records at $194k, followed up with Vardon's 1899 Challenge Match vs Willie Park Jr. ball eclipse $14k in July, prior to the last of three - 1906 Challenge Match with James Braid vs. George Duncan and Charles Mayo ball here. 'The Great Professional Foursome' headlined the write up in the local Liverpool Echo English newspaper on Friday, November 23, 1906. Looking back at it it was 11 Open Championships against 1 and 7-0 at the time. Duncan had won the English Leeds Cup that year, while Mayo won the News of the World Matchplay over Sandy (Alex) Herd and served as the head pro at Chipstead GC. Mayo and Duncan were riding high and challenged anyone to a foursome for £50 each side, with their £50 being put forth by sponsor 'World of Golf.' Vardon and Braid astutely accepted the challenge from the younger golfers. The 72-hole two day match was played at Walton Heath and Timperley Club just outside Manchester. Harry Vardon and James Braid took a four hole lead into the second day in front of approximately 1,500, growing it to 5 after 9 holes played on the second day (Timperley) and stayed that way after 18. Non-members in that 500 were charged half-a-crown. The last round started at 1:30 pm there after a short break. Vardon and the Champion Golfer of the Year crowned just months earlier, Braid, closed out Duncan and Mayo convincingly 9 and 8 after hole 10. "Braid and Vardon have that self-control, mutual confidence, knowledge, and the resources to help each other in moments of weakness, and they did it over and over," the Manchester Courier wrote in summary. That winning team would make claim to eleven Claret jugs when it was all said and done, four of those coming after this match was player in 1906.
Carefully engraved on a shield atop the golf ball is: 'Braid & Vardon v. Duncan & Mayo $100 - 1906 - J. Braid & H. Vardon - Won by 9&8.'The metallic labeling was Vardon's way of commemorating the feat, saving the winning ball for that significant tournament/match in line with his 1900 US Open winning golf ball - forever trophy 'presentation' balls in themselves after retired following victory in which they were used in. Five-time Ryder Cup player consignor Ken J. Brown obtained this ball in similar fashion to the two Harry Vardon balls we previously offered. It as he told us is as follows.
Nearly forty years ago on the passing of the pro at Harpenden Common Golf Club Bob Peters, the family wanted a fellow pro golfer and someone who’d appreciate them to have Harry Vardon's winning golf balls. I (Brown) can remember them lying around the pro shop when I first joined in the club in 1968. My strong provenance trail goes back to Vardon's time at South Herts Golf Club through me buying the balls from the estate of Bob. Harry Vardon was the pro at South Herts Golf Club in Hertfordshire and he had a number of assistant professionals one of those was Bill Peters (W.A. Peters). Bill Peters and Abe Mitchell played the exhibition match to open Harpenden Common Golf Club which about 25 miles down the road from South Herts. Bill Peters left the balls to his son Bob Peters, who later became Secretary and Professional at Harpenden Common Golf Club. Preserved and presented by Brown, it is our pleasure to offer the third and final significant Vardon winning ball from the 1906 Vardon/Braid vs Duncan & Mayo exhibition!
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