Ben Curtis - 2003 Champion Golfer of the Year - a podcast by Jay Revell

Ben Curtis is widely regarded as one of the biggest underdog major winners in golf history. His victory at the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St George's was one of the most improbable golf feats of that era. On his way to claiming the Claret Jug, Curtis outlasted names like Thomas Bjorn, Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and Nick Faldo. Not bad for the 396th ranked player in the world at the time. The fact that Curtis had never played links golf before that week makes that achievement even more startling. 

In winning the Open, Curtis joined Francis Ouimet as the only players to win a major in their first attempt. While many golf fans remember the difficulty of the course and stumbles made from others at the top of the leaderboard, Curtis' win was also an incredibly impressive performance. His final round 69 included six birdies and was one of the best scores recorded that day. He finished the tournament as the only player under par and was hailed as Cinderella story by media outlets around the world. 

Despite not being a household name, Curtis' win at the Open did lead to a lucrative playing career. He went on to record four victories on the PGA Tour and was part of the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2008. He continued to compete on the tour until 2017 when he retired from competitive golf. Today, he is focused on his golf academy that serves elite junior players and spending time with his family. 

Curtis joins me on Mid-Am Crisis for an depth discussion about his most famous win. He recalls what it was like to hoist the Claret Jug, the tense moments of that final round, and how the win propelled his golf career. He also shares how he's now putting his love for golf to work in different ways. 

Although he won't be playing at the Open's return to Royal St George's this week, Curtis will certainly be watching from home. While he may not be walking those fabled links in person, it's hard to imagine he doesn't return there in his memories each day. I certainly enjoyed revisiting them with him on the show and I think you will too.

To learn more about the Ben Curtis Golf Academy please visit https://bencurtisgolfacademy.com/

Thanks as always for listening to Mid-Am Crisis. The show is brought to you by my friends at Imagine Golf – the #1 app for the mental game. Download Imagine Golf today and start your journey to an improved way of thinking on and off the course. https://www.imaginegolf.com/


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-J

Mid-Am Crisis is a production of Revell Media, LLC

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