Why ’03 Open Champion Ben Curtis Is Leaving The Tour
OMG, that shirt!!! What the hell were we thinking?!
Ben Curtis was a surprise winner of the 2003 Open Championship by being the 396th ranked player and the first since Francis Ouimet in 1913 to win a major in his first start.
Golfworld’s Dave Shedloski posts an excellent profile of the 4-time PGA Tour winner who felt the challenges of staying competitive was too much and thereby decided to leave that lifestyle behind.
“Oh, I’ve definitely had enough. I’m not playing anymore,” Curtis said by phone from his home in snowy Stow, Ohio. “Yeah, there are a lot of great things about playing golf for a living, but it’s that old story about how people never see the other side. The travel, staying in hotel rooms, missing your family, playing with injuries.”
The 40-year-old has been struggling for several years with the golfing lifestyle, which has adversely affected his ability to make a living in the game. When he and his wife, Candace, began to have a family, Curtis started seeing golf no longer as an opportunity but as an obstacle to the things he wanted out of life. He was near tears a few years ago talking about the struggles he faced leaving his two children behind to catch another flight to another tournament that had lost its meaning.
“I could change my mind, but I don’t see that happening,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with where I am and what I did accomplish. I made a pretty good living, won some tournaments. It just doesn’t have a place in my life anymore.”
This spring, Curtis plans to unveil the Ben Curtis Golf Academy at Country Club of Hudson, a private club about 15 miles from his home. His goal is to not merely teach the golf swing, but impart knowledge on the whole game to youngsters interested in high school or college golf or who have aspirations of a pro career.
“I want to talk to young players about the whole aspect of being a golfer at a certain level,” he explained. “Practical things like drills and practice but also physical training, nutrition, what tournaments to play in. How do you prepare for college? How do you get your name out there? And it’s working with parents as well, so they know what to do and how to support their kids.”
Curtis said it is exactly the kind of guidance he never received growing up, even being as immersed in the game as he was growing up. “I had no clue. My parents had no clue,” he said. “I was lucky Herb Page found me.”
“It’s something to do to try to give back and also stay in the game in a way I’m comfortable. I want to help kids maximize their potential on the golf course.”
