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World No. 396 Ben Curtis Wins The 132nd Open Championship Contact Official World Golf Ranking (July 21, 2003) - In one of the most remarkable outcomes in Major Championship history, American Ben Curtis won the 132nd Open Golf Championship at Royal St.Georges in Sandwich, Kent. Ben is the lowest ranked player ever to win a Major Championship and his 361-position improvement to No.35 in the world is the single-biggest leap into the World Top-50 since the Official World Golf Ranking started in March 1986. Ben had 1268 players ahead of him at the turn of the year when he possessed no World Ranking points and within 7 months he is now the World No.35 and the twentieth-highest ranked golfer from the United States of America. At No.396, Ben is comfortably the lowest-ranked golfer to win a Major Championship since 1986. To put the win into perspective, John Daly was No.168 in the world when he won the PGA Championship in 1991 and Paul Lawrie was No.159 in the world when he won the Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1999. Runners-up Vijay Singh and Thomas Bjorn both made significant jumps on the World Ranking this week. Vijay moves up 3 spots and replaces Masters Champion Mike Weir at World No.3 while Thomas improves 29 spots to World No.20. The Swede Fredrik Jacobson finished T6 and he improves to a new career World Ranking high of No.33 while 6-time Major winner Nick Faldo returns to the World Top-50 at No.46. 2001 Open Champion David Duval falls out of the World Top-100 this week for the first time since March 5th 1995. In the weeks other tournaments, Craig Stadler became the first player to follow up a Seniors/Champions Tour victory with a PGA Tour victory as he won the BC Open at the En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York. Craig improves 111 spots to No. 135. In the TELUS Edmonton Open on the Canadian Tour, Rob Johnson won by 2 shots and he moves up 174 places to No.428. On the European Challenge Tour, David J Geall from England won the Kitzbuhel Golf Alpin Open and he jumps 327 places to World No.497. In the Henrico County Open on the US Nationwide Tour, Mark Hensby moves up 255 places to World No.479. |