It took awhile, but Ben Curtis has made believers of the doubters who popped up in the wake of his 2003 British Open victory.

Ben Curtis played well enough in 2008 to quiet many of the naysayers who arose after he followed up his 2003 British Open victory at Royal St. George's with two subpar seasons. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

It began to look as though Curtis were headed for one-hit wonder status after he finished 141st and 129th on the PGA Tour money list in the two years after his win at Royal St. George's.

He came back strong in 2006 with two tour victories, and had a solid year in 2008. He tied for seventh in the British Open, tied for second in the PGA Championship and went 1-1-1 on the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team in September.

Asked whether the naysayers have come around to his side now, Curtis said, "I would hope so, but you don't ever know. I'd like to think that some of the results I've had in some of the majors would validate it.

"My game has been up and down for a few years, but last year was pretty consistent. Hopefully, I can keep getting more and more consistent."

He had career-bests in top-10 finishes (five) and top-25 finishes (eight) in 2008, finishing 17th on the money list.

"I think I have proven that I can play out here," Curtis said. "To me, that's all that matters. I know I can win another major."

His worst record in the majors is at Augusta National Golf Club, where he has four missed cuts in five Masters appearances.

"I don't know if it's just the style of the golf that is required there or it just doesn't suit my eye like some of the other courses do," Curtis said.

He said there are two holes in particular at Augusta National that "I get on and feel like I can't make a par."

"On No. 11, I'm going in there with a 3- or 4-iron, and it just doesn't suit my eye," he said. "And on No. 7, you're on the down slope (for the approach shot), and you're trying to hit a 6- or 7-iron in there. I hit it high, but when I get on a downhill lie, I don't hit it high."

Golfers normally like the wide-open spaces of Augusta National, where there isn't as much of a premium on accuracy off the tee as at some other majors, such as the U.S. Open. Not Curtis.

Augusta National is "pretty open, and I like more of a tight-fit style of golf course," he said. "Most tournaments I've done well in, the fairways have been pretty tight. I've only won on one course where the fairways have been quite generous. Most of the other courses, it's been tree-lined and tight fairways and a little bit of rough, which helps bring the fields in a little bit."

Making pars is typically not a problem for Curtis, who says he generally has been a "par man" throughout his career.

"If you did a stat over the last five years of who made the most pars, I probably have one of the top-10 averages on tour," he said.

Following that theme, Curtis parred 29 of the 36 holes he played in the 2008 Masters, but he had five bogeys and a double bogey to go with his lone birdie while shooting 75-75 and missing the cut by three shots. He also averaged more than 30 putts per round.

"I've never putted well at Augusta, so that doesn't help," Curtis said. "If I putted good, there's no reason why I can't play well. I've just got to get the greens down."

It could be worse. At least he didn't have any three-putts last year in the Masters. Starting with the Honda Classic in early March through The Players Championship in mid-May, Curtis went 374 holes without a three-putt.

It's not just the layout of Augusta National or the greens that have Curtis' number; it's also the timing of the Masters.

"It's kind of tough because you want to do well and set yourself up for rest of the year and the other majors," Curtis said. "At the end of the day, it's just a golf tournament you've got to go play."

Reach David Westin at (706) 823-3224 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.