Ben Curtis Clenches Victory in Texas
After a well-fought battle out on the links Sunday, Ben Curtis clenched a hard earned victory in San Antonio at the Texas Open. Curtis’s trajectory as a player hasn’t exactly been a steady one. While Curtis was crowned champ at the British Open six years ago, since then a string of winless years has left the player a little starved for spotlight. The past few years have been especially hard for Curtis, who has spent many a tournament waitin’ by the phone to hear if he’ll even have a chance to play.
“It’s been a tough couple of years just fighting through it,” Curtis said of his victory.
After holdin’ off Matt Every and John Huh in an intense back-nine finish, Curtis closed Sunday with a bang when he holed a 12-footer for birdie on the par-5 18th hole. The hole sealed his two-stroke victory and his fourth PGA Tour title of his career. The final score of par 72 put him at 9 under, triggerin’ a wave of emotions that Curtis wasn’t expectin’ and wasn’t even sure were in him after all these years.
The victory at the Texas Open earned Curtis a cool $1,116,000 and a two-year tour exemption – not a bad playoff for a day out on the course.
“You think you’re just staying positive and not worried about it, but I think deep down, you realize all the hard work you put in that, you know, finally paid off,” a tearful Curtis said.
Curtis’s bogey-free run put him over the competition when Every’s shaky putter lost him his shot at his first tour win. Huh, who shot 77 in the opening round and managed to bounce back with a 69, fell just short of makin’ good on what could have been an exceptional comeback.
The defendin’ champ, Brendan Steele, climbed back from 56th to finish at TPC San Antonio with a bogey-free 67. He tied for fourth with Bob Estes, Brian Gay, and Charlie Wi at 5 under.
I dunno about you guys, Rockheads, but as someone who’s been in the game for a few eras, it’s always nice to see a fella who’s been discounted for years come back to the top. So what d’ya think? Is Curtis’s win on Sunday the beginnin’ of a new string of victories for the former champ, or was this the final spark before he fades even further into obscurity? Leave yer thoughts in the comment section!