Curtis wants to prove the doubters wrong

BEN CURTIS, the most unexpected British Open champion in history, is back in Britain this week hoping to show that it was not the fluke many people believe.

Without a top-10 finish on the US Tour either before or since his astonishing victory at Sandwich in July, Curtis is back to chase the £1million first prize at the HSBC World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, starting tomorrow.

As one of the four seeds defending champion Ernie Els, Masters champion Mike Weir and US PGA winner Shaun Micheel are the others the 26-year-old does not enter the fray until Friday's quarter-finals. He will play either Swede Fredrik Jacobson or fellow American Chad Campbell.