The European man with more golf majors than McIlroy
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When Rory McIlroy won the US Masters for the second time in April, he joined Nick Faldo with six major championships - with just one European ahead of him in the all time pecking order.
A win in this weekend's PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club would see McIlroy draw level with Jersey's Harry Vardon, for the number of majors won by a European man.
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Vardon has seven majors to his name, all won between 1896 and 1914.
While Vardon's fame has been eclipsed by golf's modern superstars, his influence on the game is still widely felt.
'Remarkable'
Andrew Keites is chairman of the Harry Vardon Trust, which was set up in 1984 to support young golfers in Jersey, where Vardon was born.
He is not convinced Vardon gets the respect his achievements deserve.
"It's easy to forget. Obviously there's a recency bias and people take note of what they see on the television," he said.
"Vardon was one of three [players] rather grandly known as the great triumvirate.
"There was an Englishman John Henry 'JH' Taylor, and a Scotsman, James Braid, and they dominated the professional golfing scene, especially the Open Championship for about 20 years, from the mid-1890s through to the mid-1910s," he said.
Vardon's major wins came at The Open in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911 and 1914, along with one US Open win in 1900.
Given that Vardon died in 1937, Keites says it is "remarkable that he came from this little island and still holds that record".
McIlroy has previously called it "an amazing honour" to have his name mentioned alongside Vardon.
Harry Vardon has been described as one of "the forgotten men of golf". [Harry Vardon Trust]James Evans is head professional at Royal Jersey Golf Club and Longueville Golf Range.
He said the island has a "rich culture" when it comes to golf.
"We've got Ted Ray who won two majors, Harry Vardon, who is one of the greatest ever golfers from Britain, and Tommy Horton too.
"We've had some unbelievable golfers come from Jersey," he said.
Bill Williams authored a book on Vardon, who he called one of the "forgotten men of golf".
He said Vardon was at a disadvantage to the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and McIlroy because there were only two majors a year to compete for in his era, rather than today's four.
A statue of Harry Vardon at the entrance to Royal Jersey Golf Club [BBC]The late Tommy Horton, who remains the island's most successful golfer in more recent memory previously told the BBC of his admiration for Vardon.
"When I heard about Vardon and heard that he was a world champion, I wanted to be up there with him.
"He has been my hero ever since. Harry Vardon achieved more in golf than anybody else of his era," he said.
Vardon's legacy
Often described as an innovator, Vardon's biggest influence on golf is the Vardon grip, also known as the overlapping grip.
When holding the club with two hands, this grip style sees the pinky finger of one hand rest on top of the space between the index and middle fingers of the other hand.
He did not invent it, but as Horton observed, "he made it famous" and the grip remains the most commonly used in the sport.
A plaque under the Harry Vardon statue in Jersey highlighting the 'Vardon grip' [BBC]It is not just Vardon's technique that has endured, but his image too.
Until 2019, the European Tour, now the DP World Tour, featured Vardon as its primary logo.
His name is still attached to the most prized bit of silverware in that competition, with the winner of the Race to Dubai receiving the Harry Vardon Trophy.
He also featured in the 2005 Disney film 'The Greatest Game Ever Played', based on the story of an American amateur who defeated him and fellow Jerseyman Ted Ray at the 1913 US Open.
The Vardon Trust described that competition as having "helped popularise golf in the US in the early 20th century".
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