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FRISCO, Texas ー The PGA of America today named Matthew Harris as the 2026 recipient of the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Photojournalism. Harris and his distinguished career will be honored April 8 at the 52nd annual ISPS Handa GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Georgia.
Since 2020, the PGA of America has awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in Photojournalism to recognize 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.
“Matthew Harris is as good as it gets when it comes to photographing our great game,” said Nathan Charnes, PGA of America Vice President. “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.”
Harris, 65, was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, and raised in nearby Berkhamsted. His father, Derek, was editor of The Times Business News, and his mother, Irene, was a reporter for the Evening Echo, providing Harris with valuable exposure to written and visual storytelling.
“I knew from quite an early age that writing and photography and the arts were things that you could make a living out of,” said Harris.
In 1974, when Harris was 13 years old, he and his parents split the cost of his first camera, a Pentax SP1000.
Less than a year later, Harris earned a second-place award in Asahi Pentax’s UK annual photo competition for a picture of Billie Jean King on the outside courts at Wimbledon.
Harris was taking pictures “all the time,” including while competing as a discus thrower. At 17, he completed a Foundation Art Course, broadening his perspective on a range of art disciplines, including sculpture, painting and ceramics.
Harris enrolled in the Photography Film and Television program at West Surrey College of Art and Design, one of only two institutions in Britain offering such courses at the time. While in college, he gained work at national newspapers.
Following his father’s advice, Harris brought his portfolio to deputy photo editor Tony McGrath at The Observer.
“He did not say a word apart from ‘what do you want?’ so I didn’t say anything,” said Harris. “I just handed him the portfolio, I’d already opened it in front of him, and he sat down and he went through it. He probably spent three or four minutes, which believe me, that’s a long time just showing some interest. Again, he didn’t say anything. He opened the drawer of his desk and threw me a set of keys and said ‘go and photograph that car for me.’”
Harris’s first attempt at shooting the car, a Lancia Delta Integrale, proved unsuccessful, but McGrath said to try again. Changing his strategy, Harris drove the car into Hyde Park and photographed it among the park’s iconic lampposts.
McGrath said, “‘I really don’t know why you didn’t do that in the first place!’” remembered Harris. “And that was the first picture I got published for The Observer.”
Working two days a week for them, Harris learned from experienced photographers like Eamonn McCabe.
“He really took me under his wing and was always full of encouragement,” recalled Harris.
Harris’s first exposure to golf came in 1979, at 19 years old, when he shot a European Tour event.
“I started sending those pictures out to the golf magazines that I knew of,” said Harris. “After a conversation with my dad, I decided to specialize in golf, but I couldn’t do that straight away. I did the Photography Film and Television course and built my portfolio of works as well, which I obviously did from all my newspaper assignments.”
Harris turned full time professional after graduating from West Surrey with honors in 1983. His first big break came from Bill Robertson, Editor at Golf Illustrated (UK), who routinely featured his work in the magazine. In 1988, Robertson—as editor of the new UK magazine Today’s Golfer, named Harris as his lead photographer.
“I am forever grateful to Bill for the opportunities he gave me,” said Harris.
Over the past 40-plus years, Harris 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.
“The photograph that really propelled my early career was a frame from Seve Ballesteros’s celebration sequence winning the British Open in 1984 at St Andrews in Scotland,” said Harris.
“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.”
Harris also was present when Tiger Woods won his first Masters in 1997 and all 15 of his major championship titles.
One of his favorite photographs of Woods was taken in Dubai, contemplating the wind direction for his club selection while standing in the fairway. Woods’ bag with his signature Tiger head cover is left, Woods himself is to the right.
“I thought there’s probably a good chance he’s going to start picking grass and throwing it up in the air,” said Harris. “So I’ve got this picture of when he bent down and he’s coming up. He’s out of focus, but you absolutely know it’s Tiger Woods. That’s been used an awful lot because it’s just a completely different picture.”
Another favorite is Rory McIlroy celebrating his 2025 Masters victory alongside caddie Harry Diamond at the 18th.
“You can see the small smile that’s on Harry’s face as well as Rory’s explosive reaction,” said Harris. “And just the way the flag flutters and goes into Rory, even the shadow on Harry’s leg, that too helps the picture. Then the depth of field that I used on the lens to get the sort of background in the picture.”
Harris, who is a member of Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Dornoch, Scotland, and resides a short walk from the first tee, was the team photographer for the U.S. during its 15.5-10.5 victory over Great Britain & Ireland in the 2022 PGA Cup at Foxhills Resort in Surrey.
“My abiding memory of that assignment was how welcoming the U.S. Captain Suzy Whaley and the whole U.S. team were towards me despite my accent,” said Harris. “After the winning team group trophy shot the whole team gave me a round of applause after Suzy had thanked me in front of her team.”
For Harris, the award is far from an individual accomplishment as he credits the support of his wife Queila, his sons Ben and Damian together with Patty, Mia, Lynda, Tom, Adrian and Francesca.
“I’m just thrilled,” said Harris. “Honestly, I’m more thrilled for them (family) than I am for me in receiving this very prestigious award. I know this award is not that old, but it already reads like a who’s who of golf photography of the modern era.”
Harris joins past winners Fred Vuich (2025), Dom Furore (2024), Stephen Szurlej (2023), David Cannon (2022) and Leonard Kamsler (2020) as recipients of the PGA of America’s Lifetime Achievement in Photojournalism Award.
About the PGA of America
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Media Contact: Greg Dillard, PGA of America, gdillard@pgahq.com
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