Ben Curtis claimed his first PGA Tour title in six years, winning the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio by two strokes from fellow Americans Matt Every and John Huh.
It was something of a struggle on Sunday for the 2003 Open champion, but he dug deep to finish with an even par 72 - good enough to hold off the chasing pack. With the victory he picked up a winning cheque for $1,116,000 and, more importantly, a two-year playing exemption. That was the key prize for a man who has lost full playing rights this season.
"It's been a tough couple years just fighting through it," Curtis said. "You think you're just staying positive and not worried about it, but I think deep down, you realize all the hard work you put in that, you know, finally paid off."
Matt Every should have pushed Curtis harder but a poor putting display let him down. Despite starting with a course record 63, Every couldn't keep that form going and a series of missed putts in the final round prevented him rising to the top of the leaderboard.
1 Ben Curtis (USA) 67 67 73 72 279 $1,116,000 T2 Matt Every (USA) 63 74 73 71 281 $545,600 T2 John Huh (USA) 77 68 67 69 281 $545,600 T4 Bob Estes (USA) 72 72 70 69 283 $244,125 T4 Brian Gay (USA) 73 69 71 70 283 $244,125 T4 Brendan Steele (USA) 73 74 69 67 283 $244,125 T4 Charlie Wi (Kor) 72 69 71 71 283 $244,125 T8 Hunter Haas (USA) 66 74 77 67 284 $179,800 T8 Ryan Moore (USA) 72 72 71 69 284 $179,800 T8 Cameron Tringale (USA) 72 65 76 71 284 $179,800
