With Ryder Cup in mind, Curtis heating up Playoffs

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Ben Curtis has had top-10 finishes in three of his last four starts.

Aug. 29, 2008
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

NORTON, Mass. -- Ben Curtis hasn't exactly had a lot of success in the Deutsche Bank Championship. Until Friday, that is.

Curtis had only broken par once in six rounds at TPC Boston, and he had never made the cut. After that first-round 65, though, the soft-spoken man from Ohio was not just in position to extend his stay -- he was one stroke off the lead held by Vijay Singh.

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U.S. Ryder Cup Team Captain Paul Azinger has to be happy with the play he's seeing from Ben Curtis, who played his way onto the team just a couple of weeks ago.

"I think my goal was just to make the cut because I've had great success here in the past," Curtis said wryly, his tongue firmly in cheek. "So I figured if I make the cut, it'll be a win for me here this week."

Curtis, though, enters the second event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup playing as well as just about anyone in the elite field of 120. He's had top-10s in three of his last four starts -- including a tie for seventh at the Open Championship and a share of second at the PGA Championship.

And Curtis has prospered even though his preparation has occasionally left something to be desired.

"It's so funny, the last three tournaments now, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday I can't find the face or the putting stroke, and it seems to work its way into play on Thursday," Curtis said. "That's good to see, just knowing that even though you don't feel 100 percent confident with your swing and putting, it seems to work. That means I can still improve and get better."

Curtis, who shot 7 under and tied for fourth last week at The Barclays, says the mental outlook is key. When he's hitting balls on the range, he's working on a variety of things, but his focus becomes more clear once he tees it up in competition.

Take Friday, for example. Curtis took advantage of TPC Boston's trio of par 5s -- playing them in 4 under. He made a 19-footer for eagle at the 18th to turn in 31, then added birdie putts of 10 feet and 22 inches on the two front-nine par 5s. He also sank putts of 9 and 7 feet, at Nos. 15 and 17, respectively, for two other birdies.

"You're just trying to score," Curtis explained. "I felt like my timing has been good, I just haven't hit it solid and just the putting stroke has felt a little strange. But under the gun, it just feels a lot different.

"Even today, I left four or five putts out there that I could have made, and I hit the ball extremely well, had a lot of chances. This game is funny; you can feel great and step up on the golf course and shoot 75."

U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger has got to feel good about Curtis' performances of late. He played his way onto the U.S. Team at the PGA Championship, edging out Steve Stricker, and Curtis hasn't let up. In the process, he's moved up from 27th to eighth in the FedExCup standings, but next month's date at Vahalla is clearly on his mind.

"I'm trying to get my game ready for that," Curtis admitted. "Obviously, my game is in pretty good form, so if I can try to focus on being 100 percent for the Ryder Cup, it doesn't mean that I'm going to play bad these weeks; it just means that maybe my focus is more down the road.

"Obviously being my first Ryder Cup, I want to play well and represent our country to the best of my ability, and if we win, that would be great; if not, at least I go there and had a great time knowing that I gave it my all. That's all you can do."

Curtis has never played in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. He'll be without his regular caddie, Englishman Andy Sutton, who wishes Curtis well but will be rooting for the Europeans. Curtis has asked Tony Navarro, Adam Scott's regular bagman and the long-time looper for Greg Norman, to be at his side at Valhalla.

Even though Curtis appears likely to enter the Ryder Cup playing as well, if not better, than any of the Americans on Azinger's team, he doesn't expect to assume a leadership role. That's just not his style.

"I think there's so much that I can learn from Phil (Mickelson) and Jim (Furyk) and Stewart Cink, some of these guys that played in the past to kind of guide me through the week," Curtis said. "I think the golf will take care of itself. I'm playing well. It's going to carry over into the Ryder Cup. It's not going to change.

"Obviously ... playing alternate shot and better ball, it's a little bit different mind frame than coming out here and just trying to shoot a good number. My role is just to try to go out there and play the best I can and help the team."

And the way Curtis is playing right now, that's sure to be a big help.