Ben Curtis likes to think of himself as a normal guy who likes to do normal things. Golf doesn’t occupy his entire world.
So after playing two practice rounds last week at Royal St. George’s, Curtis decided to take a day off and take fiance Candace Beatty on a tour of London.
“I like to be able to do those kind of things,” Curtis said.
And what is Curtis’ favorite attraction in London? Naturally, he said, “Big Ben.”
Curtis became the second-biggest Ben in England on Sunday after his stunning victory in the British Open. It is safe to say that his life won’t be normal, at least not for a long time.
Curtis had planned to spend last week preparing for his Aug. 23 wedding. It all changed at the Western Open.
Curtis knew the top eight finishers at the Western not already exempt qualified for the British. He wound up hanging on for a 13th-place finish, his best of the year, which was good enough to earn him a trip to England.
“I knew going into that week I was playing a lot better than I was at the beginning of the year,” Curtis said. “That was my goal [to go to the British], and I did it.”
Little did Curtis know that it would set him up for the biggest week in his life. On the biography for the Open, he listed his career highlight as playing in a U.S. team amateur tournament in 2000.
Winning the British Open just might trump that event.
Curtis grew up around golf. Raised in Ostrander, Ohio, near Columbus, he lived 50 yards from Mill Creek Golf Club, a public facility owned by his grandfather. His father was the superintendent.
Curtis learned the game there and eventually went to Kent State. He was a three-time All-American and was the runner-up to David Gossett in the 1999 U.S. Amateur.
Still, Curtis took the long way to get to the PGA Tour. He finally made it through qualifying school on his third attempt last year.
Playing as a rookie this year, Curtis had made nine cuts in 14 starts. Vijay Singh played with him at the Western and came away impressed.
“He had to shoot a good number to qualify and he did,” Singh said. “I told my wife yesterday, `This guy can play. He’s no pushover.'”
Curtis proved Singh correct Sunday. Now instead of struggling to keep his PGA Tour card, Curtis has a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a 10-year exemption in the British Open and a five-year exemption into the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He also has a check for $1,112,270 for winning the British.
Curtis expects some changes in his life. Among the biggest will be increased expectations.
Is this the start of something big, or will he be another Orville Moody, whose only victory was his upset in winning the 1969 U.S. Open?
Curtis insists he has the game to succeed in majors, where par is a good score. He hopes Sunday was just the beginning.
Said Curtis: “My life is going to change from today, but I’m looking forward to it and a lot of the great challenges ahead of me.”
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The Curtis file
Height: 5-11. Weight: 175.
Age: 26 (May 26, 1977).
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio.
Education: Kent State University (2000, recreation management).
Turned professional: 2000.
Joined tour: 2003.
Background: Three-time Ohio Amateur champion, including a 15-stroke victory in 2000 . . . world’s No. 1-ranked amateur by Golfweek before turning pro.
How he got there: Tied for 13th place at the 2003 Western Open, a British qualifier.
PRE-BRITISH STATISTICS
2003 earnings: $195,689 in 14 events (151st).
World ranking: 396th.
Avg. score: 71.7 (134th).
