Residence: Stow, Ohio
DOB: 26/05/1977 |
Ben Curtis is best known for winning The Open Championship in 2003 at Royal St George’s Golf Club where he beat Thomas Bjorn and Vijay Singh to win by a single shot. It was only his 13th place at the Western Open on the US PGA Tour 2 weeks earlier that had qualified him to play in The Open - and he became the latest golfer since Francis Ouimet in 1913 to win a major championship on a debut. After this victory, Curtis jumped from 396th in the Official World Golf Rankings to 35th, the highest jump for any person in the history of the rankings. This victory and a solid first season on the PGA Tour led to Curtis being named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 2003.
Ben can source his golfing success back to the fact that he grew up only 50 yards from the practice putting green of Mill Creek GC in Ostrander in Ohio; a course that his grandfather built and where his father is superintendent. He started playing golf at age 3, but says he didn't get serious about it until high school.
Despite his extraordinary win at The Open in 2003 he did not win again until 2006 when won twice on the PGA Tour - the rain-soaked Booz Allen Classic and the Lumber Classic – to earn more than $2million and give him a spot in The Tour Championship (TPC) for the first time in his career. He tied for 8th place at the British Open in 2003 which was his best result in a major since winning the tournament.
He will remember the 2008 season for his performance on the big stage. He finished in a tie for 7th at The Open 2008 and a month later bettered that again by finishing tied for 2nd place in the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills. His 2nd place finish qualified him for the 2008 Ryder Cup, his first appearance in the event. He secured 1½ points from his 3 matches, beating Ryder Cup legend Lee Westwood in the Sunday Singles. |