Curtis Finally Ends Title Drought

Two Bogeys Good Enough For Win at Booz Allen

Ben Curtis officially won the rain-soaked Booz Allen Classic championship.

Finally.

A crowd of dozens -- none of them paying fans -- watched Curtis card a pair of rare bogeys on his last two holes yesterday at TPC Avenel to cap his five-stroke victory nearly two days after his final round began.

"It was a fantastic week, golf-wise," said Curtis, who finished at 20-under-par 264. "I probably played the best I've ever played for three rounds and 16 holes."

He started where he left off when heavy rain stopped play for a second time Monday, facing a 30-foot par putt on the 17th green with a seven-shot lead. He barely missed to make bogey. Then, after finding two sand traps, he bogeyed the 18th.

But the hiccups didn't matter much to Curtis. The morning at TPC Avenel was more about picking up some cash and crystal than competition for Curtis, who was running away with the tournament before heavy rain forced delays on Sunday afternoon.

When his tap-in putt disappeared into the final hole, Curtis raised his arms into the air to celebrate his first victory since the 2003 British Open.

"I feel about as good as I did when I won the Open," said Curtis, who led from the first round.

While the feeling of victory might have been the same, the atmosphere was completely different.

As Curtis walked up to the final green, the only buzz that could be heard on the course was the sound of workers breaking down sponsors' tents and concession stands.

When Curtis finished at 18, the small crowd around the green applauded as his parents, in-laws and wife looked on.

He then linked arms with playing partners Brett Quigley and Steve Stricker, and the three bowed to about 25 uniformed course maintenance workers who were enjoying the action from a small and otherwise empty VIP grandstand.

As they did for the final three days of the tournament, crew members started just after sunrise to drain flooded sand traps and clear standing water off the course. Their work, combined with a rare break in the storms, allowed Curtis and five others to end the tournament.

Aside from the $900,000 payday, the victory ended a three-year victory drought for Curtis, who has struggled since pulling off the stunner at Royal St. George's.

"I think it came so early for Ben that he was always trying to prove to everybody he was an Open winner," said Padraig Harrington, who finished in a four-way tie for second.

Curtis's caddie, Andrew Sutton, said yesterday's victory proves that his 29-year-old employer is not a fluke.

"They always say the second [victory] is harder than the first," said Sutton, a veteran caddie. "A lot of guys win once. To win twice is very difficult."

While Curtis enjoyed a happy ending, the tournament itself endured a dreary one.

Officials closed the course to fans yesterday because there weren't enough volunteers available for crowd control and security. The grass lots used for spectator parking were too soaked for use.

"It's not how we wanted to go out," tournament executive director Bob Jeffrey said.

The event could be dropped from the tour next year, or return for a fall date. If the event returns, Curtis said he will defend his title.

Note: Heavy rains rendered Congressional Country Club unplayable and forced the cancellation of yesterday's British Open qualifying tournament.

The top 12 finishers would have gained an exemption into the Open, set for July 20-23 at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England. Instead, the spots went to the top 12 players in the world golf rankings who were entered in the field.

Exemptions went to Tom Pernice Jr., Brett Wetterich, Vaughn Taylor, Lee Westwood, Greg Owen, Bo Van Pelt, J.B. Holmes, Jerry Kelly, Ted Purdy, Steve Elkington, Jeff Maggert and Aaron Baddeley.