Hardcore fans of local favorite Fred Funk surrounded the first tee for his 7:50 a.m. starting time Thursday at the TPC at Avenel. Their loyalty was rewarded in the opening round of the Booz Allen Classic. But not by the former University of Maryland golf coach.
It was Funk’s playing partner, Ben Curtis, who awed Funk’s Punks with a brilliant shot-making display. The former British Open champ fired a 9-under-par 62 to grab a one-stroke lead over Jeff Gove of Seattle. Argentinian Jose Coceres trails by two. Steve Flesch and Will MacKenzie trail by three.
Curtis knows all about catching lightning in a bottle. In 2003, as a rookie who had never finished in the top 10 in a PGA event, Curtis won the British Open.
On Thursday, the Ohioan made four straight birdies on the front 9 and five straight on the back on his way to the best round of his career. If he had dropped an 8-foot putt on the 18th green, Curtis would have matched the course record, set two years ago by Charles Howell III, also in the opening round.
“Everything was easy. After the first hole, it was kind of a freak of nature,” said Curtis, 29. “Hit every shot pretty much where I wanted. Hit it close quite a few times and made a few putts as well.”
In two previous appearances at Avenel (2003, ‘05), Curtis failed to break par or make the cut. But Thursday’s round was a tee-to-green masterpiece. After misfiring at No. 1 and needing to make an 8-foot putt to save par, Curtis hit the remaining 13 fairways and 17 greens.
“I’ve been swinging well,” said Curtis who finished 57th last week in the U.S. Open. “Other than one day last week, I hit it pretty well. So I felt like if I could get my irons going that I could shoot a good number.”
In his birdie string on the front 9, which began at No. 2, Curtis drained putts of 6, 16, 23, and 2 feet. On the back 9, he started his birdie streak at the par-five 13th, hitting a fairway wood to the fringe and getting down in two. At the 301-yard par-four 14th, Curtis drove the green and two-putted. On the next three holes, Curtis made birdie putts of 12, 2, and 8 feet.
“He was very tidy off the tee – very straight,” said Curtis’ caddie of three years, Andrew Sutton. “He’s hit the ball this well. But this was his best putting round in three years that I’ve worked for him.”
Since winning the British Open as a rookie in 2003, Curtis has played well enough to retain his PGA Tour card, but has visited few leader boards, managing just three top-10 finishes in 64 tournaments. Working this season with acclaimed teaching pro Hank Haney, however, Curtis has gained better control of his game, making the cut in 10 of 13 events.
“I’d like to go out there (Friday) and do the same as today, obviously, but I know it would take a miracle to do that,” said Curtis. “But I’d like to get it in the red figures, play solid, hit some good shots and see what can happen.”
