PGA OF AMERICA HONOURING PHOTOGRAPHER MATTHEW
ROYAL Dornoch’s globetrotting club photographer and member Matthew Harris has captured some of the most iconic images in golf over a remarkable career spanning four decades.
Now the Englishman, who has made Dornoch his home, is being honoured by The PGA of America as the 2026 recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award in Photojournalism” on April 8 at the 52nd annual ISPS Handa GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Georgia.
Since 2020, the PGA of America has awarded the accolade to “recognise the vital role that photography plays in documenting the rich history of golf and to celebrate the individuals who have captured the game at the highest level.”
Royal Dornoch general manager Neil Hampton has added his congratulations to the deluge coming Matthew’s way from friends, golfers and industry professionals.
“Golf fans around the world will be familiar with Matthew’s incredible array of work, whether it is the iconic photographs of Seve winning The Open or more recently Rory joining the list of Grand Slam winners with his victory at Augusta last year.
“He has the knack of being in the right place at the right time, allied to his anticipation, skill and craftsmanship, to produce some of the most enduring images in golf.
“We at Royal Dornoch are thrilled that such an august organisation at the PGA of America is formally recognising Matthew’s immense contribution to the sport we all love.”
Announcing the award, Nathan Charnes, PGA of America vice-president, said: “Matthew is as good as it gets when it comes to photographing our great game.
“For over four decades, Matthew has masterfully documented the major moments, people and places that define the world of golf. On behalf of the more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals, I proudly congratulate Matthew on this richly deserved recognition.”
Encouraged by his parents to pursue his artistic skills, Matthew took his first tentative steps, and camera, on a European Tour event as a raw teenager in 1979.
Since then, he has covered 20 Ryder Cups, as well as 150 men’s Major Championships and numerous women’s Majors and Solheim Cups.
Golf has taken him to more than 80 countries and his work has appeared in golf magazines around the globe, including Golf Digest in the United States.
On the home front, he has taken countless photographs of his beloved Championship Course, in all seasons, and recently covered the opening of the new clubhouse, capturing striking images for posterity.
“The photograph that really propelled my early career was a frame from Seve Ballesteros’s celebration sequence winning The Open in 1984 at St Andrews,” recalls Matthew.
“It is his most famous reaction from his illustrious career. All of the elements as a photographer you want to work did – his face expression, his body shape, angle, light and background.
“I became good friends with Seve and was fortunate enough to get on very well with Europe’s so called ‘Big Five’: Faldo, Lyle, Langer, Woosnam and the other top Europeans that followed – Olazábal, Montgomerie, Clarke, Harrington and McIlroy.”
He was greenside when Tiger won his first Masters in 1997 and again when Rory finally secured his Green Jacket last season.
Matthew insists the award is far from an individual accomplishment, crediting the support of his wife Queila, his sons Ben and Damian together with Patty, Mia, Lynda, Tom, Adrian and Francesca.
“Honestly, I’m more thrilled for them than I am for me in receiving this very prestigious award. It reads like a who’s who of golf photography of the modern era,” he said.