by Jeff Skinner
As the PGA Tour moves on to Bourbon Street and the smile slowly leaves Ben Curtis’ face we should take a minute to reflect on the finish at The Valero Texas Open. Ben Curtis, Matt Every and John Huh not only conspired to give us an exciting finish but each of them has their own “feel good” finish to be proud of.
First of all, each one of them would have liked to putt a bit better over the last few holes and if Huh and Every could have got a few more rolls out of a putt or two Curtis might still be looking for his fourth PGA Tour win. Missed putts notwithstanding these three characters all had reason to be content on Sunday evening.
Curtis certainly had the most to celebrate as he finally won again on the PGA tour for the first time since 2006. He has been spending much of his time playing the European Tour since he wasn’t fully exempt in the states. His win gives him a two year exemption, a ticket to The Masters and a major share of relief since he knows he has a job to go to every week. Curtis was emotional after his win as he realizes that all his hard work has paid off. He may lack the buzz of many of the “name” players but Curtis is a genuine guy that is liked by all on tour.
Matt Every made headlines for all the wrong reasons last year with a tour suspension for a pot bust and had already rubbed a few players the wrong way with his confidence that seemed to border on arrogance. But Every had to win a few fans on Sunday with his, no practice swing, hit ‘em quick style of play. If everyone played like him there would be time for 36 holes on Sunday. He is rededicated this year and his effort shows; four top tens in eleven events and a little more than a million dollars in earnings. He showed plenty of class afterwards when he spoke of Curtis and Huh saying what great guys they were to play with.
Why John Huh isn’t the darling of the golf world is beyond me. This is one great story. The 21 year old Huh never played college golf and spent the last few years playing in Asia before earning his PGA Tour card last year. He was born in New York City but grew up in California, has his dad as his coach and simply plays golf like he has been out there for years. His dream came true with a win at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and he has three top tens, five top 25’s and $1.7 mil in the bank. Is this the “Rags to Riches” story of the year or what? But for some reason Huh flies under the radar. The has to be an agent somewhere lining up deals for that last name, Huh, don’t you think?
These three players all have different stories but all are worth knowing and all are certainly worth watching.
Related Articles
