Standing in the fairway on the 12th hole, Ben Curtis’ head spun around like an owl’s. He was searching for an approaching storm. Holding an eight-stroke lead in the final round of the Booz Allen Classic, Curtis’ only concern was lightning.
With thunder rolling closer to the Tournament Players Club at Avenel in Potomac, Curtis pointed to the sky. Perhaps unnerved, the Ohioan hit his worst shot of the final round, knocking an iron into Rock Run.
Five minutes later, Curtis and his playing partners were ushered into a van. Play had been halted. The final round will resume today at 8 a.m. with 46 players returning to Avenel.
Little is left to do other than to crown the king. At 23-under par, Curtis leads Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who was 15-under through 13 holes.
Ben Crane, Jeff Gove, Nick O’Hern and former Booz Allen champions Steve Stricker and Billy Andrade were nine shots back.
All that is left for Curtis to do is to clean up his mess at No. 12, then pursue history. The tournament record is 21-under, set by Andrade, Jeff Sluman, and Adam Scott. And Curtis is bidding to become the first man to hold sole possession of the lead after all four rounds since Greg Norman went wire-to-wire at nearby Congressional Country Club in 1984.
Nothing fazed Curtis Sunday. Teeing off at 3 p.m. following eight rain delays, he made four birdies and five pars on his way to a front nine 32. Wearing a Redskins’ logo emblazoned black shirt on a humid day, Curtis’ only concern was whether the sun would come out.
That might not have seemed a concern early Sunday morning when Curtis drove to Avenel for his 9 a.m. starting time and discovered that River Road was almost a river. But Curtis stayed at the course, even when it became apparent he would not be teeing off until late in the afternoon.
“I was just treating it like any other event, like I had already teed off and needed to stick around,” said Curtis. “I kept busy, drank plenty of water and watched the soccer game, or football game, they say.”
When Curtis finally got on the course, he showed no ill effects. When he hit a bad shot, as was the case at Nos. 1 and 8, he recovered with putts of 10 and 15 feet, respectively, to save par.
And when Curtis hit a good shot, he cashed in. At Nos. 2, 5 and 6, Curtis hit wedges inside nine feet and made birdie putts. Then at No. 9, he drained a 25-footer for a dramatic birdie.
Curtis, 29, is gunning for the second win of his career. His first came in the British Open in 2003. He has been in complete control this weekend, shooting 62-65-67. Through 65 holes, he had made 24 birdies and just one bogey.
Curtis showed his unflappable demeanor at No. 6. When a fan tried to remind Curtis of his British Open victory, shouting, “Troon has nothing on this course, huh,” Curtis didn’t blink.
His Open victory actually was at Royal St. George’s. Curtis then knocked a wedge to within a foot and the same fan yelled, “Golf shot.” This time, Curtis acknowledged with a tip of his Redskins’ cap.
“I don’t want to go to sleep tonight like I’ve got it won because I still have six-and-a-half holes to go,” said Curtis. “It’s not going to be easy but I have to go to bed confident and know than I can do it.”
