Life never will be the same for British Open champ Ben Curtis, a nobody a mere month ago.
By BOB HARIG
Published August 13, 2003
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - He was gone, but nobody knew he was even there. Ben Curtis took the day off from practice, and was hardly missed. Nobody clamored for an autograph or interview. Nobody wondered where he had gone, what he was doing.
Curtis never had been to London, so he went on a sightseeing adventure. Double-deck bus, Tower of London and, appropriately, Big Ben.
That was a mere 30 days ago, but life is far, far different now.
Curtis barely could move through the crowd Tuesday at Oak Hill Country Club, where he will play in just his second major championship when the 85th PGA Championship begins on Thursday.
Of course, he won his first, becoming one of the biggest upset champions in golf history when he won the British Open last month at Royal St. George's in England. Only a few days before, he was a no-name tourist.
Since then he has been to the Oval Office to visit with President Bush, chatted with Matt Lauer on Today, been criticized for pulling out of the Greater Hartford Open and been on the Late Show with David Letterman, where he said Tiger Woods has an "aroma" about him.
Okay, so he got "aroma" and "aura" confused. It has been a dizzying time for Curtis, who could be excused for a few botched words or deeds, if not errant drives or putts.
Before his British victory, Curtis, 26, never finished in the top 10 of any PGA Tour event. He had won all of $6,020 on tour heading into this season.
"I'm getting more comfortable each day," Curtis said of dealing with his new fame. "I'm really enjoying myself. It's a lot of fun. You hear your name everywhere, but I'm just trying to go about my business."
Good luck. Tournament directors are calling, hoping he will commit to their events. His agents are taking endorsement pitches. Myriad opportunities await.
One problem: Long ago, Curtis and his fiancee, Candace Beatty, planned their wedding day for Aug. 23. Curtis figured to have the weekend off, but the British Open title came with an invitation to the NEC Invitational in Akron, which is about 20 minutes from the United Methodist Church in their hometown of Kent, Ohio.
The wedding was planned 18 months ago, so the date can't be changed. But give up a spot in one of the World Golf Championships events?
Nope, Curtis plans to do both.
"We just hope everything runs smoothly with the weather; that's the biggest issue," said Curtis, who will attend his wedding ceremony when the third round of the tournament is complete.
It is amazing, really, what winning a major championship does for an otherwise undistinguished player. The top golfers already have their places secured in top events. Curtis, as a PGA Tour qualifying tournament grad, wasn't even sure which tournaments he could get in from week to week.
Now he is in the PGA Championship, both of the remaining World Golf Championship events, next year's Masters and U.S. Open. He is 28th on the PGA Tour money list and can qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship by finishing among the top 30. He has a spot in the Grand Slam of Golf in December, where he'll get an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii and the chance to play for a minimum of $150,000.
All for a guy who barely a month ago was ranked 396th in the world and never even contended in a PGA Tour event.
"At some point in my career, I always wanted to be here," Curtis said. "I didn't expect it to come quite so soon. I hadn't played that well up to that point. I've been working hard on my game the last few months and it just came around at the right time.
"I knew I could win majors, but I thought maybe as soon as I got 10 or 12 under my belt, once I got in contention a few times. I was surprised to win, but at the same time, I wasn't."
Curtis did not come from as far out of nowhere as is believed. He chose Kent State because it was close to his home in Ostrander, Ohio, though he was recruited by most of the top programs in the country. He was a three-time All-American and in 2000 was No.1 in the amateur rankings.
It took him three trips to the qualifying tournament (in 2000, he disqualified himself during the second stage when he believed he might have taken an incorrect drop) before making the PGA Tour last fall.
Then he made eight cuts in 10 starts, including the tie for 13th at the Western Open that got him into the British.
"It's been hectic," Curtis said. "But it's been fun at the same time."
