Ben Curtis - Media Guide

Carnoustie thanks to a final-round 65.

victors at the TOUR's Washington D.C. event. Playing in 64th event since British Open win in 2003, slept on the lead for five consecutive nights as multiple delays forced a Tuesday morning finish. Rounds of 62-65-67-70--264 earned a five-stroke victory over runners-up Billy Andrade, Padraig Harrington, Nick O'Hern and Steve Stricker...Earned second victory of the season with a two-stroke victory over Charles Howell III at the 84 LUMBER Classic. Tied with Howell through 54 holes after opening 66-69-69, posted final-round 2-under-par 70 to clinch third career TOUR win, most of any American-born player in his 20s. With paycheck of $828,000, surpassed $2 million in season earnings for the first time in career. Three of his six career top-10s have been victories...Qualified for THE TOUR Championship in the Atlanta for the first time in his career, finished 21st. 2005: Earned the first top-10 of the season in July, finishing third at the Cialis Western Open. Shared first-round lead with Jim Furyk and Todd Fischer at 7-under par. Posted even-par 71 on Friday and fell two behind 36-hole leader Chris Couch, then shared third-round lead with Furyk at 12-under after a 66. Final-round 3-over 74 left him five strokes behind Furyk and with his first top-10 in over a year (T8 at 2004 Memorial Tournament)...Finished T4 at the Buick Championship. Opened with a 6-under-par 64 to share the lead with J.L. Lewis. Posted four rounds in the 60s for the first time in his career, but came up two shots out of the Brad Faxon-Tjaart van der Walt playoff. 2004: Collected one top-10, a T8 at the Memorial Tournament...Shared the 18- and 36-hole lead at the Memorial Tournament, only 18 miles from where he grew up in Ostrander, Ohio. Finished with rounds of 73-72 at Muirfield Village Golf Club for a T8 finish, the second top-10 of his career (34 events) and the first since his victory at the 2003 British Open. 2003: Voted PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. Pulled one of the greatest upsets in golf history, capturing the British Open in first career major championship start. Rounds of 72-72-70-69--283 topped Vijay Singh and Thomas Bjorn by one stroke. Entered final round tied for third, but grabbed lead with birdies on six of first 11 holes on Sunday, putting him two up on Bjorn, three ahead of Singh and four up on Tiger Woods. Went to No. 18 three behind Bjorn after bogeys at Nos. 12, 14, 15 and 17. Saved par with 10-foot putt on No. 18, and earned title when Bjorn finished 4-over on the final four holes. First player since Francis Ouimet at the 1913 U.S. Open to win a major in his first try. First player to win first British Open start since Tom Watson in 1975. Youngest British Open winner at 26 years, 1 month, 24 days, since Tiger Woods won in 2000 at age 24 years, 6 months and 23 days. Jumped from 396th to 35th in the Official World Golf Ranking, the biggest jump since the Ranking began in 1986. One of four first-time major champions in 2003, joining Mike Weir (Masters), Jim Furyk (U.S. Open), and Shaun Micheel (PGA). Qualified for the British Open via a T13 finish at the 100th Western Open, his best career finish to date and first career top-25 finish...Just one month after British Open triumph, returned to home state to play in the NEC Invitational at Firestone CC in Akron. First-round co-leader with Sergio Garcia after a 6-under-par 64. Married Candace Beatty in Kent on Saturday evening, Aug. 23 after the completion of the third round. Finished T30. 2002: Played the Hooters Tour for a second consecutive season, finishing 10th on the money list and winning in Myrtle Beach, SC...Placed T26 at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. Amateur: Three-time All-American at Kent State...Won the Ohio Amateur in 1999 and 2000. Second win came by 17 strokes, joining John Cook and Arnold Palmer as the tournament's only back-to-back winners. That same year, finished runner-up at the Western Amateur and won the Players' Amateur to become the No. 1-ranked amateur golfer in the world by Golfweek.

title his junior and senior years of high school...The week after British Open victory, was a guest on David Letterman, hitting wedge shots rooftop to rooftop during broadcast, and visited President Bush in the White House...Caddie for most of 2003 was former Kent State University teammate Danny Fahl. Andy Sutton, a long-time caddie on the European Tour, worked for Curtis at the British Open...Signed an endorsement contract in 2004 with Reebok to wear its NFL apparel at PGA TOUR events, the first player to do that since the late Payne Stewart.

Semi-finalist at the 1999 U.S. Amateur. Three-time Ohio Amateur champion, including a 15-stroke victory in 2000. Formerly the world's No. 1-ranked amateur by Golfweek before turning pro in 2000. All-America selection at Kent State. Became interested in golf through his grandparents, who own a public golf course in Ostrander, OH.