Curtis playing in the comfort zone

HE may have upgraded from a tiny apartment to a luxury home but for Ben Curtis the objectives at this week’s British Open are exactly the same as when he last played, and won, at Royal St George’s.

Back in 2003, Curtis was a 26-year-old pro embarking on his first major, keeping costs down in modest digs and hiring local caddie Andy Sutton to help him around the Kent links.

To the surprise of everybody the American, ranked 396 in the world, from Kent, Ohio, ended up lifting the Claret Jug thanks in part to Thomas Bjorn’s last-round collapse.