Meet Ben Curtis: from obscurity to golfing immortality in 18 holes.
Curtis joins a club that includes Francis Ouimet (1913 U.S. Open), Jack Fleck (1955 U.S. Open), Orville Moody (1969 U.S. Open) and John Daly (1991 PGA Championship). The qualification for membership is to come from beyond nowhere to win a major championship.
Curtis, who played last year on the Hooters Tour, is a household name after his improbable performance in winning the British Open at Royal St. George’s on Sunday. With a star-studded leaderboard featuring Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and Vijay Singh, Curtis beat the best of the best, shooting a 69 in the final round and finishing at 1 under par for the tournament.
It was good enough to take a one-shot victory over Thomas Bjorn and Vijay Singh. Woods and Love were two shots back at 1 over.
Ben Curtis, British Open champion.
Or, as they say over here, “the champion golfer of the year.”
The concept may never sink in.
“Oh, man, that’s about all I can say right now,” Curtis said.
Everyone was at a loss for words. It will be up to historians to determine whether Curtis is the most obscure major winner ever.
He makes quite a case. He came into the tournament as the 396th-ranked player in the world. The 26-year-old from Ohio qualified for the PGA Tour in 2003 by finishing 26th in qualifying school. He wasn’t a prodigy.
His career-best finish was a tie for 13th in this year’s Western Open. His timing couldn’t have been better because that showing enabled him to qualify for the British under special criteria at the Western.
Curtis arrived in England never having played true links golf in the British Isles. So much for the experience needed to tackle the nuances of wind and weird bounces. And this was his first major.
The only plausible explanation for Curtis’ victory is that golf is an equal-opportunity game. Once every generation, the ultimate darkhorse slips in.
Curtis seized his chance.
“Well, I’ve won in the past, just not at this level yet,” Curtis said. “I was shaking in my boots, obviously, but I was just there very focused on what I had to do and let my work speak for itself.”
Actually, Curtis’ fiance, Candace Beatty, thought he was calm going into Sunday’s round.
“He’s always calm,” Beatty said. “I asked him how he felt. He said, `I’m fine.'”
Curtis had nothing to lose. Nobody gave him a realistic shot, even though he came into Sunday at 1 over, two shots in back of Bjorn. Supposedly, he was way out of his league. Surely, he would fold.
Instead, just the opposite happened. Curtis stormed to 5 under by making six birdies in the first 11 holes.
It seemed Curtis was the only person who believed he could win.
“I knew [Saturday] that once I got going on the back nine, I had a chance of winning,” Curtis said. “[Sunday], I just got off to a better start and got ahead.”
The inevitable collapse, though, seemed to be happening on No. 12. Curtis went on to make bogeys on four of the next six holes.
He said he turned cautious, but who can blame him?
“Instead of worrying about it, I should have gone out there and fired at the flags like I’ve been all week,” Curtis said.
Suddenly, Curtis went from 5 under to 1 under. But with the back nine difficult for the entire field, he knew he still had a chance if he could stay in red numbers. On 18, he made an 8-footer to save par.
“I stepped up on 18 and said, `Make it,'” Curtis said. “I said, `If you want to win this thing, make it.'”
Curtis did make it, and it turned out to be the putt of his life. A few moments later, Bjorn took two shots to get out of the sand trap on the par-3 16th, leading to a double-bogey 5.
Instantly, Bjorn’s two-shot lead vanished, as he was tied with Curtis.
That lasted until the 17th, when Bjorn made another bogey. Meanwhile, the other big stars, Woods, Love and Singh, failed in their bid to match Curtis at 1 over. Finally it ended when Bjorn’s birdie chip on 18 ran past the hole.
Curtis suddenly entered another dimension.
The crowd ringing the 18th green, none of whom knew who Curtis was four days ago, gave him a standing ovation.
Then Curtis was presented the claret jug. His name was freshly engraved on a trophy that includes Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead and Woods.
Let the people say what they will. Curtis now is on the claret jug for the rest of time.
“I’m in great company,” he said. “I feel like I don’t belong right now, but I knew in my mind that I did. Right now, people are saying, he doesn’t belong there. But I know I do, so that’s all that matters.”
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Final scores and recent winners
At Sandwich, England; 7,106-yard, par-71 Royal St. George’s G.C.
283 (-1), $1,112,720
Ben Curtis 72-72-70-69
284 (E), $548,412
Vijay Singh 75-70-69-70
Thomas Bjorn 73-70-69-72
285 (+1), $294,076
Tiger Woods 73-72-69-71
Davis Love III 69-72-72-72
286 (+2), $213,801
Brian Davis 77-73-68-68
Fredrik Jacobson 70-76-70-70
287 (+3), $155,383
Nick Faldo 76-74-67-70
Kenny Perry 74-70-70-73
288 (+4), $108,093
Hennie Otto 68-76-75-69
Retief Goosen 73-75-71-69
Gary Evans 71-75-70-72
Phillip Price 74-72-69-73
Sergio Garcia 73-71-70-74
289 (+5), $78,420
Chad Campbell 74-71-72-72
Stuart Appleby 75-71-71-72
Pierre Fulke 77-72-67-73
290 (+6), $66,763
Greg Norman 69-79-74-68
Tom Watson 71-77-73-69
Mathias Gronberg 71-74-73-72
Ernie Els 78-68-72-72
291 (+7), $52,324
Padraig Harrington 75-73-74-69
K.J. Choi 77-72-72-70
J.L. Lewis 78-70-72-71
Peter Fowler 77-73-70-71
Thomas Levet 71-73-74-73
Angel Cabrera 75-73-70-73
292 (+8), $41,330
Mike Weir 74-76-71-71
Andrew Oldcorn 72-74-73-73
Paul McGinley 77-73-69-73
Nick Price 74-72-72-74
Mark Foster 73-73-72-74
S.K. Ho 70-73-72-77
293 (+9), $29,850
Stewart Cink 75-75-75-68
Bob Estes 77-71-76-69
Adam Mednick 76-72-76-69
Shingo Katayama 76-73-73-71
Gary Murphy 73-74-73-73
Duffy Waldorf 76-73-71-73
Marco Ruiz 73-71-75-74
Jose Coceres 77-70-72-74
Scott McCarron 71-74-73-75
294 (+10), $22,652
Rich Beem 76-74-75-69
Robert Allenby 73-75-74-72
Tom Byrum 77-72-71-74
295 (+11), $18,859
Tom Lehman 77-73-72-73
Markus Brier 76-71-74-74
Anthony Wall 75-74-71-75
Brad Faxon 77-73-70-75
Ian Poulter 78-72-70-75
Mathew Goggin 76-72-70-77
Fred Couples 71-75-71-78
296 (+12), $16,214
Mark McNulty 79-71-77-69
Rory Sabbatini 79-71-75-71
Michael Campbell 78-72-74-72
Trevor Immelman 77-73-72-74
Raphael Jacquelin 77-71-72-76
David Lynn 73-76-71-76
297 (+13), $15,181
Alastair Forsyth 74-70-78-75
Craig Parry 73-73-76-75
Skip Kendall 73-76-73-75
Darren Clarke 75-75-71-76
Phil Mickelson 74-72-73-78
Peter Lonard 73-73-70-81
298 (+14), $14,386
Stephen Leaney 74-76-78-70
Mark O’Meara 73-77-77-71
Charles Howell III 71-76-77-74
Len Mattiace 74-75-74-75
300 (+16), $13,988
Katsuyoshi Tomori 72-77-75-76
301 (+17), $13,830
John Rollins 72-76-78-75
302 (+18), $13,671
Chris Smith 74-73-76-79
303 (+19), $13,432
Ian Woosnam 73-75-80-75
John Daly 75-74-74-80
YR. WINNER COURSE
2002 Ernie Els Muirfield
2001 David Duval Royal Lytham and St. Annes
2000 Tiger Woods St. Andrews
1999 Paul Lawrie Carnoustie
1998 Mark O’Meara Royal Birkdale
1997 Justin Leonard Royal Troon
1996 Tom Lehman Royal Lytham and St. Annes
1995 John Daly St. Andrews
1994 Nick Price Turnberry Golf Links’ Aisla Course
1993 Greg Norman Royal St. George’s
1992 Nick Faldo Muirfield
1991 Ian Baker-Finch Royal Birkdale
1990 Nick Faldo St. Andrews
1989 M. Calcavecchia Royal Troon
1988 Seve Ballesteros Royal Lytham
1987 Nick Faldo Muirfield
1986 Greg Norman Turnberry
1985 Sandy Lyle Royal St. George’s
1984 S. Ballesteros St. Andrews
1983 Tom Watson Royal Birkdale
1982 Tom Watson Royal Troon
1981 Bill Rogers Royal St. George’s
1980 Tom Watson Muirfield
1979 S. Ballesteros Royal Lytham
1978 Jack Nicklaus St. Andrews
1977 Tom Watson Turnberry
1976 Johnny Miller Royal Birkdale
1975 Tom Watson Carnoustie
1974 Gary Player Royal Lytham
1973 Tom Weiskopf Troon
1972 Lee Trevino Muirfield
1971 Lee Trevino Royal Birkdale
1970 Jack Nicklaus St. Andrews
1969 Tony Jacklin Royal Lytham
1968 Gary Player Carnoustie
1967 R. de Vicenzo Hoylake
1966 Jack Nicklaus Muirfield
1965 Peter Thomson Southport
1964 Tony Lema St. Andrews
1963 Bob Charles Royal Lytham
1962 Arnold Palmer Troon
1961 Arnold Palmer Royal Birkdale
1960 Kel Nagle St. Andrews
1959 Gary Player Muirfield
1958 Peter Thomson Royal Lytham
1957 Bobby Locke St. Andrews
1956 Peter Thomson Hoylake
1955 Peter Thomson St. Andrews
1954 Peter Thomson Royal Birkdale
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