Harry Vardon By his early 20s, Harry developed a demanding practice program, the most ambitious seen to that time. He was the first professional golfer to play in knickerbockers – discarding the "proper" dress of an Englishman in an uncomfortable shirt and tie with a buttoned jacket. Within a few years he became golf's first superstar since the days of Young Tom Morris. In 1896, Vardon won the first of his record six Open Championships (a record that still stands today). Vardon had great rivalries with James Braid and J.H. Taylor, who each won five Open Championships; together the three formed the
Harry Jepson Trophy formation of Premier Divisions for the stronger teams, the Harry Jepson trophy was then competed for by the winners of the Premier divisions with the regional division winners playing-off for the RLC Regional trophy. In 2012, the national Conference was replaced by locally administered regional leagues but the Harry Jepson trophy continued to be contested by teams in some of these new regional leagues. The winners of the Scottish Conference League Premier Division, the North East Rugby League Premier Division, the Midlands Rugby League Premier Division, the London & South East Men's League, the West of England, the South Premier