One year removed from the NGA Hooters Tour, Ben Curtis earned the 2003 Rookie of the Year honors on the strength of his win at the British Open. Playing in only his 16th PGA TOUR event and his first major championship, Curtis shot a 2-under 69 Sunday to win the British Open by a stroke.  He was the only player to finish under par for 72 holes at Royal St. George's. The victory moved Curtis, who began the week as the 396th player in the Official World Golf Ranking, to 35th after his win. The 361-place jump marked the largest one-week improvement since the Official World Golf Ranking began in 1986. He finished the season 46th on the money list with $1,434,911. Curtis' only other career win came in 2002 at the NGA Hooters Tour Myrtle Beach Classic.

The NGA Hooters Tour would like to congratulate Ben and all of our alumni for successful seasons on the PGA Tour in 2003.