Ben Curtis (golfer)
- For the Dell advertising character, see Ben Curtis (actor)
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | May 26, 1977 Columbus, Ohio |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Nationality |  United States
|
| Residence | Stow, Ohio |
| College | Kent State University |
| Career | |
| Turned Pro | 2000 |
| Tours | PGA Tour (joined 2003) |
| Professional wins | 3 (PGA Tour: 3) |
| Best Results in Major Championships | |
| Masters | T39: 2006 |
| U.S. Open | 30th: 2004 |
| British Open | Won 2003 |
| PGA Championship | T34: 2005 |
| Awards | |
| PGA Tour Rookie of the Year |
2003 |
Ben Curtis (born May 26, 1977) is an American golfer who was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Ostrander, Ohio. His family runs the Mill Creek Golf Club, also in Ostrander. Curtis is a graduate of Buckeye Valley High School and Kent State University where he was a star on the golf team.
As an amateur, Curtis found much success, winning the Ohio Amateur Championship in 1999 and 2000 (joining professional golfers John Cook and Arnold Palmer as the only men to win the Ohio Amateur in consecutive years), and also the Player's Amateur Championship in 2000.
Curtis is best known for winning The Open Championship in 2003. This victory was considered a major upset, as the 26-year old's best finish in a professional tournament prior to his victory had been 13th place at the Western Open only two weeks before; that finish qualified him to play in The Open Championship.
The 2003 Open Championship was Curtis' first appearance in a major; he became the first golfer since Francis Ouimet in the 1913 U.S. Open to win his major championship debut. After his majors vicotry, Curtis jumped from 396th in the World Golf Ranking to 35th, the highest jump for any person. 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.
Curtis's major championship victory did not immediately result in further high finishes. In 2004 he had only one top ten finish on the PGA Tour. In 2005 he had two. In 2006, his results improved, with two wins: the Booz Allen Classic and the 84 LUMBER Classic.
Curtis and his wife Candace currently reside in Stow, Ohio.
PGA Tour wins (3)
- 2003 (1) The Open Championship
- 2006 (2) Booz Allen Classic, 84 LUMBER Classic
Major championship is shown in bold.
Major Championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runners Up |
| 2003 | The Open Championship | 2 shot deficit | -1 (72-72-70-69=283) | 1 stroke |  Thomas Bjørn,  Vijay Singh
|
Results timeline
| Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | CUT | CUT | T39 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | DNP | 30 | CUT | 57 | T45 |
| The Open Championship | 1 | CUT | CUT | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T34 | T60 |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10